The Misadventures of a Sleepy Hunter
by QuietFever
Summary: Man dreams of many things...but all he wants is a place to sleep.
1. Dreams

Man dreams of many things; some grand, some simple. Some dream of attaining riches that rival the splendour of a hundred kingdoms. Some dream of a fair wage. Some dream for the love of everyone around them. Some dream for the love of a single person. Some dream of becoming great Heroes; tokens of everyone envy, admiration and desire. Some dream of being seen as Heroes to the ones that matter most. Man dreams of many things; some grand, some simple. All dreams to all dreamers are exceptional and unique and are the driving force behind many of mankind's greatest achievements and innovations...as well as it's greatest failures.

However, occasionally, a persons dream can be described as odd, strange, or downright ludicrous. A dream that simply defies the comprehension of all except the one who dreams it. A dream that, by all accounts, would cause the dreamer to be considered many things; insane, stupid, moronic, idiotic, crazed, mad, deranged or violently unstable, to name a few.

Yet this does very little to deter such dreamers from pursuing there dreams, and many entering into Beacon Academy could be considered as such by the masses. Young men and women, pursuing their own dreams, goals and ideals by becoming Hunters and Huntress'; a terrifying and awesome occupation in itself. Yet, even amongst these young dreamers, there is one whose reason for entering Beacon would confound even the most intelligent amongst them.

A young man who fell asleep on the airship to Beacon and completely missed everything that Glynda GoodWitch had said.

A young man who missed the assembly for the new students and somehow ended up on the roof of the Academy.

A young man who got lost attempting to find the hall where the new students were to stay the night and decided to sleep outdoors.

A young man, who by some miracle, managed to find the cafeteria the next morning in time to get some breakfast.

A young man who stared vacantly into the distance as Beacon's Headmaster began to explain the rules for the entrance examination, his words little more than white-noise.

A young man who was confused as he suddenly found himself flung high into the air, soaring like a bird...that began to plummet to the ground like a rock.

A young man who was lost in thought as to what he should do next, before falling right into a stream.

A young man who was dripping wet as stood on the grassy bank nearby, looking around with the same blank expression that always adorned his face.

A young man who, having no knowledge of what was going on, decided to lay on the ground and gaze into the sky through thickly shaded spectacles that hid his eyes.

A young man who eventually began to drift off to sleep as he lay in the Emerald Forest, completely oblivious to the dangers that surrounded him.

A young man, who by the whimsy of fate, was found and partnered with a Faunus girl who despised humans, but needed him in order to pass the exam and forcefully dragged him throughout the Emerald Forest.

A young man who would be the only human amongst three Faunus, the team led by the very girl that loathed his existence.

This young mans name was Arden Cross.

His dream.

To create a world where he could sleep wherever he wanted.


	2. How it started or Meet the Team

Arden's day always started off the same.

He would be led out of bed by the angelic voice of his Teams Leader (Shouted at repeatedly before he finally woke up). Would gracefully hop out of bed (roll over till he fell out of his bed and hit the floor with a heavy thud). Grab his school uniform and skip over to the bathroom to take a shower and get dressed (Stand up and groggily make his way to the bathroom to do both tasks). Before heading out and walking alongside his team as they made their way to breakfast (Trail a few steps behind them and take his food outside once he obtained it. Not due to a dislike of Faunus, far from it. He was just terrified of the dark aura that emitted from his Team Leader every time he was in her presence). Before heading off to morning classes with Professor Port. All in all, it was a genuinely peaceful routine that Arden had grown used to in his three months in Beacon...

if he was a completely deluded masochist that took pleasure in being treated like garbage by his Faunus team-mates, which he was not.

He sighed internally as he sat in Professor Ports class. Though he did not exactly enjoy the way he was being treated by his Team Leader (and to a lesser extent, his team-mates) he did not complain nor bother to do anything about it. Arden understood that the Faunus were discriminated against, though he never understood why.

He quickly glanced at his team-mates, who were three rows below him. He knew that his looking at them wouldn't be seen by any in the room, his thick set spectacles covered and concealed his eyes splendidly, to the point where his iris couldn't be seen; a blessing for when he decided to fall asleep in class.

The others on his team were all Faunus; with the Teams Leader being a Fox Faunus named Kitsune Veritas.

In Arden's opinion, Kitsune was quite beautiful. This was not just because of her flowing orange hair that was like the steady flame of candlelight, or her sharp eyes that were a stunning emerald, or due to the fact that the fox ears atop her head made her look adorable. Kitsune was beautiful because, even though she may treat him like dirt most of the time, she displayed a stunning warmth towards others of her kind. A warmth that was both gentle and tender and completely contrary to the belief that many humans held that Faunus were just animals. Even now, as she sat in between his other team mates, her expression was one of ease and joy, despite the ravings of Professor Port.

Arden always found that she was at her happiest around Faunus, whatever caused her to hate Humans as much as she did now was Humanities fault and loss, and Arden would simply need to bear with the treatment for the next few years. Besides, he was asleep most of the time anyway.

Arden quickly stopped observing her as he felt that dark aura emit once more. He didn't know how, but it seemed that she always knew when he was around, Arden also wondered if that dark aura was specifically for him, considering no one else in the room felt it. He couldn't help but think that this had something to do with their initial meeting, when Arden had accidentally called her 'Kitty', due to the fact that he was initially confused on how to pronounce her name (and definitely NOT the fact that he was distracted by her ears and tail, definitely...probably...).

Arden then focused the pot-bellied man who had once again begun to drone on and on about some highly exaggerated exploit that Arden wasn't even listening to. For one simple reason.

He was beginning to fall asleep.

Why Arden's fascination, nay, obsession with the natural function of all creatures? Arden believed that sleep was the great equaliser of all things. Whether Human or Faunus, King or Peasant, Judge or Criminal, they all fell to the dreadful bliss that was sleep; lost in their dreams as they fell into unconsciousness, only to forget the magnificence as they woke. It was in this that Arden was so fascinated by it. Sleep was the gateway to the realm of pure imagination, of dreams and nightmares that revealed the hidden intents, darkest desires, deepest fears and blissful hopes of the dreamer. The true nature of a man could be exploited by the machinations of his mind, and Arden relished in the fact.

Also, he just really liked sleeping.

And none would notice that Arden had fallen asleep, not unless they were examining him closely. For his posture was attentive, but not to much so as to make him stand out. His head was facing forward, but also slightly down so as to not attract the teachers gaze. His breathing was soundless and the rising and falling of his chest slight. Arden was asleep, and it would not be until the bell signalling the end of morning classes and the beginning of lunch that he would awake. Arden would then begin to do what he always did at lunch, take his food and find somewhere to eat and sleep outside till afternoon classes started.

He had one spot in particular that he enjoyed; a small clearing in the more forested part of the Academy grounds. It was a nice, secluded area with soft green grass and the sun always shone down upon it warmly. After eating his meal, Arden lay down upon the grass and drifted to sleep as he gazed into the endless blue sky. Some would find this behaviour odd, however not even Headmaster Ozpin could do anything about it. For aside from sleeping, Arden also believed in conserving as much energy as possible, meaning he did as little speaking as possible, and responded to most inquiries regarding his manner with single word responses when possible (It was also what led Arden to learn Sign language, so as not to waste his breath).

Arden had no worry of sleeping through the afternoon classes, for the bell always managed to wake him up just in time. However, if he had been truly as awake and attentive as he seemed when he was in Professor Port's class, then he would have heard Professor Port announce that there would be no afternoon classes for the day due to a mandatory training seminar for the teachers. Alas, as he was sleeping during the time, he had no knowledge of this. When Arden finally awoke, he would have an uncharacteristically shocked expression on his face as he found himself staring at the stars. Quickly getting too his feet, he looked around.

_Yup, pitch black night. _

He then checked his watch; a plain bronze pocket watch that he kept chained to his jacket, and checked the time.

_12:30_

Though he found it strange for him to have slept through the bell, he did not find it strange that he slept for the day. It was sort of what he did after all. However, this now posed a problem for him. For Arden had a very poor sense of direction, the only reason he was able to find this spot was through hours of painstaking memorisation of the path that led here. In the dark of night, where the stars only dimly lit the earth, he could no longer see that path. Uncertain of what to do, Arden simply shrugged and walked of in any direction. Little did he know, this would cause many, MANY, problems for him in the coming months. For little did he know, that this would be the beginning of many misadventures to come.

* * *

To say that Kitsune Veritas was furious would be an understatement, it was as if the heated rage of a hundred suns burned within her as she walked down the halls at 12:00 in the bloody morning with a scowl on her face. Why was the esteemed Faunus Leader of team KAZE awake so late, and currently sneaking around the school in her Pajamas? The answer was quite simple.

Arden Cross.

The only Human in her team, Kitsune found Arden's absence in the dorm room to be both agreeable and disconcerting. Though it was not unusual for him to show up an hour after curfew, he was never this late, and this is what prompted the Fox Faunus to leave the room and search for him. This was purely out of a sense of responsibility, for she held no attachment to the Human male, but her duty as team leader meant she had to at least know where he was. However, she was having quite a hard time doing such. Knowing very little about the spectacled teen, she had no clue as to where he could be, and in the thirty minutes since she begun her search she was no closer.

_He's nowhere in the building..so that must mean..._ Kitsune looked out the hall window to the courtyard below. Though it may have been only dimly lit by the stars, through her eyes the scene was much clearer, being a Faunus did come with certain perks after all. Kitsune frowned, Arden certainly wasn't making this easy for her. Kitsune walked to the window, opened it, and jumped to the outside...from the second story. She managed to land on the ground with nary a sound and proceeded to search the academy grounds. Fifteen minutes later, she would end up finding Arden, but she would soon learn that finding him was the easy part.

Catching Arden as he began to run would prove a much more difficult challenge.

* * *

Arden knew that many wondered how he ended up in Beacon (those that knew he existed at least) and Arden could understand their confusion. After all, Arden was by far not the most impressive specimen to ever grace the halls of Beacon Academy. This is why, it would surprise many, especially the one currently chasing him, to see just how fit he was despite his scraggly appearance. For the moment Arden heard rustling in the bushes and a voice call out to him, he could draw only one conclusion that pushed him out of his drowsy and confused state.

It must be a ghost.

Now, Arden was by no means a superstitious person, but as he turned in the direction of the voice and could see nothing in the darkness, he believed that it must be a ghost. This, in his opinion, was why it was perfectly reasonable for him to turn on his heel and start running through the forest, despite the fact that he could see next to nothing.

Meanwhile, Kitsune was bewildered to see the normally lethargic Arden running. Kitsune had no idea he was even capable of such a thing, considering;

A- She literally had to drag him through the Emerald Forest during the exam as Arden was asleep for the most part.

B- He sleeps through the mandatory team training sessions and refuses to spar (meaning he simply stands there and the others beat him).

C-She has never seen him exercise...at all.

Snapping out of her bewilderment, Kitsune quickly began to pursue him.

'STOP!' She shouted, which only served to cause Arden to run faster. This only served to confuse Kitsune further. She was by no means unfit, far from it, so she was wondering why on Remnant she wasn't able to catch up to the lethargic teen. Dust! He was like lightning! Zigzagging through the trees and jumping over bushes as if he could actually see them. This caused her to become hot-tempered. She was NOT going to lose in terms of speed to...to that lethargic idiot!

Arden suddenly felt a familiar dark presence, and quickly looked over his shoulder. The sight made his heart beat rapidly in terror as he recognised the charging figure of Kitsune who just tackled him. Kitsune had used her aura to increase her speed, so much so that she was like a bullet, and when she managed to catch Arden, she felt a sense of satisfaction...that quickly faded as she realised the she had just tackled both him an her off of a cliff.

The two looked at each other, then down into the abyss below. Kitsune screamed, and Arden...well he did what he always does when he has no idea what's going on.

He decided to fall asleep.

* * *

Zephyr Rush, the Hawk Faunus of Team KAZE, was an easy going individual. Unlike the other Faunus of Team KAZE, he did not dislike Arden all that much. Sure, he was odd and quiet, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing; he never made any racial slurs or indicated that he was uncomfortable in their presence, and Zephyr believed that that said a lot about his character. This was why he did nothing when he heard Kitsune leave the room in search of the absent Arden. He believed that this would be an opportune moment for them to bond as individuals, which was why he fell asleep almost instantly after she left. However, when he awoke the next morning he would see the strangest thing he ever saw.

Arden had entered the room carrying an unconscious Kitsune on his back. Both of them had cuts and bruises and looked like they had been rolling around in the mud.

'What happened to you two?' Zephyr exclaimed as he rushed to check up on them. Arden shrugged as he made his way over to his bed and lay Kitsune down on it. Zephyr quickly tended to her wounds using his aura. Zephyr then looked back over at Arden who was staring blankly outside the window. Zephyr made his way over after he had finished. 'What happened?' He asked as he quickly healed Arden's wounds.

Arden looked at him then pointed to the outside. 'Fell.'

Zephyr raised a brow. 'You guy's fell?' Arden nodded, Zephyr sighed internally, understanding he would have to fill in the blanks of the conversation. 'You fell off what?'

'Cliff.'

Zephyr was dumbfounded. 'You guy's fell off a cliff!'

Arden nodded, then gave a large yawn before heading out of the room, not bothering to change his clothes or clean himself. Zephyr had no idea what to think of that, perhaps he should have assisted Kitsune after all.

_Ah well, no use thinking about it now. I should probably wake her up before..._

'WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!'

Zephyr looked over at the final member of Team KAZE, the one who had just entered the room after looking for the oddly absent Kitsune.

'Hey Elaine.' Zephyr said, hoping that he wouldn't invoke the fury of the Lioness Faunus.

Elaine glared at Zephyr, and Zephyr unconsciously curled up his wings. He had no desire to lose them. 'What. The. Hell. Happened.' Elaine repeated, much more threatening this time.

Zephyr held up his hands in defence. 'Hey I had nothing to do with this! Arden brought her in and-'

Zephyr cursed his slip of the tongue as Elaine's eyes lit up with an unbridled fury and she rushed out of the room, in search of the poor Human who was now her prey.

Zephyr felt sorry for Arden, and thought about helping, but he had realised something incredibly quickly during his time at Beacon.

The women here were terrifying.

_Good luck Arden...if you survive I'll treat you to a drink...or something..._

* * *

As soon as Arden left the room, he immediately went to the rooftop. He had learnt that very few ever traverse there and in the mornings that the place was clear of any sign of life. Making it absolutely perfect for him to restore his wasted energy.

He had also set up a small sleeping area for him, complete with a mattress and pillow, which made the experience all the more comfortable. Yet, as he lay upon the soft mattress, staring up into the sky from the rooftop, he couldn't help but sigh.

He used up a lot more energy then he would've liked, and he hoped that the knock on the head that rendered Kitsune unconscious also erased her memory. Arden really couldn't be bothered answering any questions she had...

* * *

_Arden found it hard to fall asleep with the screaming Kitsune, and decided that if he was going to have any reprieve from her shouting then he would have to do something. With Kitsune still attached to his back, he turned and dug his hand into the cliff side. The pair slowly came to a grinding halt as Arden's clawed metal fingers, usually believed to be a gauntlet, dug into the stone and tore it like flesh. They stopped their perilous descent just above the ground of the Emerald Forest. Naturally, after Kitsune recovered she had many questions, and Arden, being Arden, could not be bothered answering most of them. He quickly gave her a firm blow to the back of the head that knocked her our cold._

_Arden was then going to join her in the realm of the unconscious, but growls from the surrounding area prevented him from doing so as a pack of Beowulves appeared from the shadows. No doubt attracted from a certain Faunus' screaming._

_Arden sighed. It looked like he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight._

* * *

'ARDEN! I KNOW YOU'RE UP HERE! SHOW YOURSELF YOU BASTARD!'

It also appeared that he wouldn't be catching up on his missed sleep either. Arden sat up on the mattress. He recognised the voice as Elaine Rovra, the other female Faunus of the group. He then looked down. Arden's mattress was on a higher platform of the roof and Elaine was currently on the lower platform. Arden, knowing how good of a tracker she was, quietly got off the mattress and headed towards the nearest exit. As he got to the door, he froze as he heard a menacing sing-song voice.

'Foooooooooouuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnddddddddd Yooooooouuuuuuu.'

Arden didn't bother turning around. He simply opened the door and ran. It seems that fate would forever deprive him of his sleep.

* * *

**Meet Team KAZE**

'Hello. My name is Arden Cross. Considering I don't and will probably not speak much during this story, the Author decided to give me the task of introducing the various members of the Team...though I would prefer if I could just sleep. Anyway, here it goes.'

**Kitsune Veritas:** 'The Fox Faunus leader of Team KAZE. She really, really, really dislikes Humans, and as such doesn't like me...at all. Still she is quite kind to other Faunus and that makes up for it I suppose. Aside from her beauty (which is described earlier on), she has the enhanced strength and senses common to all Faunus. She is also an incredibly skilled tactician and fighter, and her weapon is some sort of whip-sword-thing (I don't know what it's called, I'm to busy either sleeping or trying not to get killed by her). Her Semblance is **Mirage**, meaning she is able to create illusions of objects and things. And that's the gist of it.'

**Arden Cross:** 'Me...'

**Zephyr Rush:** 'Zephyr is a Hawk Faunus. He has sharp eyes like a bird, a pair of brown wings with white spots, and grey wavy hair. I don't mind him to much. Unlike Kitsune or Elaine he actually treats me with a bit of respect. Also, unlike most, his weapon is strictly long ranged based, being a custom made sniper rifle. However, he is adept at hand-to-hand combat so that sorta balances it. Aside from the usual, he can use his wings to fly, and his eyesight is...well...like a Hawks...His Semblance is **Gust**, meaning that he is able to manipulate air currents with his aura.'

**Elaine Rovra:** 'Elaine is a Lioness Faunus. Her facial features are sharp and strong, and her hands and feet have sharp claws. Her hair is short cut and dirty blonde in colour. Elaine is quite close with Kitsune, and as such shares a similar attitude that she does towards me. Elaine dislikes using weapons, and fights unarmed. This would be crazy for anyone else to attempt, however, her natural strength (which supersedes that of most Faunus) coupled with her Semblance '**Fortification**' (which causes her body to become tougher than most forms of armour worn) she a tank. Which would explain why I'm currently avoiding her.'

'And that's it...for now...I'm going to go take a nap.'


	3. Escaping the Lioness

Arden made his way down the flights of stairs and burst through the door leading into the Third story hallway. Without any regard for the still rousing patrons of Beacon he bolted down the corridor, his steps hurried and heavy. As he reached the end of the hall and turned the corner that led to another, he could hear footsteps quickly approaching from behind and knew without looking that it was Elaine.

Arden began to run a little faster but understood that his legs could only carry him so far. He was still exhausted from all the running and fighting he had done earlier in the morning, and hadn't had any chance to actually rest. Elaine on the otherhand, was not only a Faunus but had gotten plenty of rest, coupled with the fact that she was angry and running on adrenaline put Arden in a very bad position indeed. Understanding that he couldn't actually outrun her in his current state, Arden could only think of one thing he could do to survive.

He had to hide.

Few knew Beacon as well as Arden, for in his search to find places where he could sleep uninterrupted he had traversed every corner and read every document regarding the construction of Beacon and even studied the Academy blueprints! Arden took his sleep very seriously.

This was why, as soon as he turned and entered another hallway, he opened the first door on his left and jumped inside, swiftly closing the door behind in the process. He waited a few moments to see what would happen. Sure enough, he could hear the sound of Elaine's footsteps pass by as she continued to run down the hall. Arden sighed in relief, despite the fact that this room was on the same floor as the dorms, it was uninhabited. The reason for this was because it was actually used for storage, holding replacement sheets, bedding, mattresses and furniture. As it was rarely used, Arden had claimed this spot as his own, and had actually set up a bed in a more hidden corner of the large room, just in case someone walked in while he was asleep.

Believing he was safe, Arden proceeded to head to his corner for some well deserved rest. However, as he was halfway there, the door slammed open, and Arden turned to find the currently menacing presence of Elaine, who had a toothy, fanged grin on her face.

'There you-'

Arden didn't let Elaine finish as he quickly grabbed a pillow and chucked it at her face. Elaine easily dodged the projectile, but it had distracted her long enough for Arden to grab a blanket and throw it over her. As she struggled to get out of it, Arden quickly pushed past her and ran down the hall once more and immediately increased his speed as soon as he heard Elaine shout in fury.

'GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!'

As Arden ran (fell) down the stairs leading to the second floor, he would quickly learn just how futile his efforts to utilise his sleeping spots as hiding places was in the face of the fearsome Faunus girl.

**He tried the infirmary:** 'I-' He would jump out the window as soon as he saw her.

**He tried the storage shed:** 'Found-' He ran through the back door.

**He tried the canteen kitchen:** 'You-' He threw a bottle of Forever Fall sap and the breakfast he was going he hadn't the chance to eat at her and ran off.

**He tried the training arena:** 'You-' He activated the training dummies and ran off as she fought them.

**He tried the gyms armoury:** 'Bastard-' He threw a grenade at her and ran as it exploded.

**He tried the forest:** 'Stop-' He jumped off the tree-house he had set up and ran for it.

**He tried the rec room:** 'Running-' He ran out the other door.

**He tried the interior of the giant clock:** 'Damnit-' He jumped off the platform he stood and ran out the door.

Before Arden realised it, he had used up all his primary sleeping spots and had only succeeded in making Elaine angrier and angrier. Then, as he once more ran down the corridor on the ground floor of the building, a thought struck him. With Elaine not to far behind, he turned a corner and jumped into the mens bathroom. Elaine stopped just outside; for once, actually halted in her chase. Arden didn't know if it would work, so he made sure to move to the end of the room and hid at the stall in the back. He waited a few moments,then he heard Elaine shout again:

'Damnit Arden! You can't stay in there forever!'

Arden heard Elaine storm off, but he knew that it was more than likely a ploy to get him to lower his guard. She was definitely out there...watching...waiting.

Arden examined his watch and sighed as he saw the time. Morning Classes were about to start and Arden hadn't the chance to eat anything. The thought caused his stomach to rumble loudly. Now that he had at least a temporary reprieve from Elaine, he realised just how truly exhausted and hungry he was. He considered his options.

He could wait for classes to start and hope that Elaine would find attending GoodWitch's class to be a more fruitful and safer endeavour than pursuing him. However, with the current state that Elaine was in, enraged at Arden for reasons completely beyond his comprehension, he doubted that even GoodWItch's reputation would deter her.

Arden let out a disheartened sigh. He couldn't think of anyway to get out of this unscathed. He turned his head towards the ceiling, hoping that looking at the unusually clean roof would somehow provide him with some sort of epiphany. Which it did as Arden's eyes immediately fell upon the iron grating of the air duct.

_...I know what I must do._

* * *

Elaine stood pressed against the wall, not to far off from where the mens bathroom was, waiting for when that spectacled bastard would come out unsuspectingly so she could capture him and drag him to a remote place where no one would ever find his horribly mutilated corpse...

Okay, she wouldn't take it that far, but she sure as hell was going to beat him and enjoy every second of it.

Still, as she waited for Arden to appear, she couldn't help but admit to herself that her opinion of the spikey haired teen had changed somewhat. Elaine had always assumed that he was a coward and weakling, given the fact that he absolutely refused to fight with anyone and was always conveniently absent during training sessions. However, the chase had revealed that he was much stronger than he looked. Dust! He had managed to outrun and avoid her! That was saying something.

Still, he had done something to Kitsune. Elaine wasn't sure what it was, but it had caused her to look like crap, and that was enough to set her off. Elaine waited patiently, still pressed against the wall and peering over the corner (earning odd looks from some of the students heading early to class). Then her enhanced hearing picked up the sound of something crashing. A metallic ringing sound that slowly faded. Elaine wondered what it could be, it was definitely coming from the mens bathroom.

Uncertain of what it was, but having no desire to be seen walking into the mens bathroom, Elaine continued her stakeout.

* * *

Arden was sincerely hoping the effort he was putting into avoiding the wrath of Elaine was worth it, because he was beginning to doubt that it really wasn't as he crawled through the dusty air vents.

_...someone really needs to clean these things._ He thought as some dust went up his nose and he sneezed. The sound echoed throughout the vent, and Arden hoped that Elaine didn't hear it as he continued to crawl.

Fortunately for Arden, the bell had rung the moment he sneezed and Elaine heard nothing, even with her hearing, and continued her watch as the students headed to class.

Arden had absolutely no idea where he was going as he crawled the vents. Though he had studied the blueprints, he glanced over the layout for the ventilation system, believing he would never actually need to know about it. He was now regretting that decision greatly.

From what he could recall, he made his way through the vents, unusually silent, until, after fifteen minutes had passed, he finally came upon an exit. Listening for any signs of life, particularly for any signs of Elaine, and finding none, he slowly reached towards the grating and gave it a firm push. The grating came out easily, and Arden quickly shuffled out and looked around. Satisfied that he was alone, he propped the grating back in place, hoping that no one would notice how crooked and loose it was.

Arden then looked around once more and realised where he was. He was, rather conveniently, in the hallway where his dorm lay. Believing he was safe, Arden walked towards his room and entered, the thought of sleeping in his comfortable bed entirely occupying his mind. However, as he shut the door behind him and slowly made his way over to his bed, he noticed something completely out of place, something that didn't belong there and SHOULD have been in class.

Arden frowned as he looked upon the sleeping figure of Kitsune curled up on HIS bed.

Arden had to admit that she did look quite cute, but right now that didn't matter. HE WAS EXHAUSTED. Arden considered waking her up, but as soon as he reached out his hand Kitsune frowned and flung her hand out haphazardly to the side, effectively breaking the bedside drawer it came into contact with. Arden wisely withdrew his hand.

He thought about borrowing one of the other beds in the room...for about three seconds before he figuratively slapped himself in the face. Seeing no other alternative, Arden quietly crouched down on the floor and withdrew a spare pillow from the stash he kept under his bed. He then lay down on the floor beside his bed and rested his head against the pillow, which in his current state felt like the greatest gift on heaven. Arden realised just how much he had exerted himself as every muscle in his body refused to allow him to stand or move. Not that he minded of course as he quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Kitsune gave a small yawn as she awoke. She sat up on the bed, raised her hands above her head and stretched, before suddenly remembering the events of the morning and quickly looking around. To her surprise and confusion, she was back in her dorm.

_How did I get back here?_ She wondered. _The last thing I remember doing was chasing after Arden and..._ Her heart almost lept out of her chest as she remembered falling off the cliff. _That's right, we were both falling and..._ Kitsune frowned as she found herself unable to remember what happened next. After a few more minutes of trying, she shook her head and gave up.

Kitsune then heard something odd. _Is that...snoring?_

Perplexed, Kitsune looked down in the direction of the sound and frowned further as she saw the Arden sleeping on the floor. _What is that imbecile doing? Shouldn't he know that's what beds are for?_ It was that thought that caused Kitsune to realise something. Her bed was on the far side of the room, the one furthest from the door. However, the bed she was currently lying in was directly in front of the door. In other words, this wasn't her bed. It was Arden's. Why the bloody hell was she in Arden's bed?!

Having no idea what was going on, Kitsune quickly jumped off of Arden's bed and landed silently on the floor. She then stood over the sleeping teen and nudged him in the side with her foot. When he showed no response, she was going to shout at him like she usually did, but stopped as she noticed something odd.

Arden's spiky hair was unusually dishevel and had flakes of dust and dirt in it. He had patches of mud and stains on his face and clothes, which were slightly torn. Not only that, but it was like his entire body had shut down, in a comatose like state, most likely due from over exertion.

What happened to him? She wondered. Usually she wouldn't have given his condition a second thought, but her lack of memory from the earlier events caused her to wonder what was going on. She had no time to dwell on it though, as someone burst through the door.

* * *

'HERE YOU ARE!' Elaine said as she entered the room. Elaine had finally grown tired of waiting for Arden to reappear, and after making sure no one saw her, she entered the mens bathroom, and came upon the scene of the broken grating. She then proceeded to enter the ventilation shaft and tracked Arden using his scent. 'I GOT YOU NOW YOU-'

Elaine stopped speaking as she saw Kitsune awake. 'KIT, YOU'RE OKAY!' she exclaimed as she immediately embraced her friend.

Kitsune, though still confused, managed a small smile as she pried the Lioness Faunus off of her. 'Hey Elaine.' Kitsune then frowned. 'Didn't I tell you to stop calling me Kit?'

Elaine simply smiled back as she put her hands on her hips. 'Come on Kitsune. You gotta have a nickname for your friends.'

Kitsune simply rolled her eyes in response, realising that there was no point in arguing. Kitsune then noticed something odd. Elaine was covered in pieces of dirt, dust, gravel, leaves, and...syrup? 'Elaine. What happened to you?'

Elaine frowned and she immediately pointed to Arden. 'HE happened.' She said with distaste as she began to relay Kitsune the details of her pursuit.

'That's quite a tale.' Kitsune responded as she glanced over at Arden, who was still asleep. 'Zephyr said that he brought me here?'

Elaine nodded. 'I don't know what happened to you, but I'm sure he had something to do with it.'

'What makes you say that?' Kitsune asked.

Elaine shrugged. 'He's Human.'

Kitsune nodded, understanding what Elaine meant. Neither of them had any good experiences with humans, every experience leaving an unpleasant, haunting memory. However, Kitsune needed to know what happened after they fell off the cliff. The fact that both her and Arden came out of it essentially unscathed meant that something happened.

_I guess I'll have to interrogate him later._ Kitsune then noticed something odd. 'Where's Zephyr?

Elaine put a hand to her chin in thought. 'He's probably in class. The morning classes started about a half hour ago.'

Kitsune eyes widened. 'What?!' She had never been late for a class. NEVER.

Elaine gave a sheepish grin. 'Yeah...we're sort of late.' Elaine chuckled as Kitsune panicked and quickly grabbed her uniform. 'By the way.' She said as Kitsune was in the process of getting dressed. 'You might want to take a shower first. You REEK!'

Kitsune paused and quickly sniffed herself, and found that Elaine was right. Kitsune took a quick shower, cleaning herself thoroughly, before getting dressed and running alongside Elaine to class. She didn't bother waking Arden, not like she could anyway.

Though she planned on interrogating him. Kitsune would find that it would eventually turn into a struggle. For when Arden awoke the next day, his first and foremost priority was to find areas to replace the ones that Elaine had stumbled upon. For Arden had lost something most precious when Elaine had managed to sniff him out to his favourite spots, and Arden needed to try his best to replace them, find new and more secure places where he wouldn't be disturbed.

In other words.

Arden was looking for a place to sleep.


	4. A World where I can Sleep

Arden walked down the streets of Vale as he wrote in a small, red Journal. This Journal was quite precious to Arden, as it contained all the vital research and information regarding possible sleeping areas in both Vale and Beacon. However, it also contained his notes, more precisely a list, on what he wanted in a sleeping spot.

He was currently looking over this list and adding to it as he walked by a shop called _From Dust till Dawn_ and he wondered if he was forgetting anything. He then remembered that he was as he heard the sound of soft footsteps following behind him and felt an all to familiar dark aura. He then wrote it down, right under the point of '_Somewhere Elaine can't find me':_

_Somewhere Kitsune wont follow me._

* * *

Zephyr felt like a stalker. Why you ask? Because that's currently what he was doing alongside Kitsune and Elaine.

Stalking Arden Cross.

'Why are we doing this again?' He said for what felt like the three hundredth time, letting out a long sigh, which he immediately sucked back in as Elaine glared at him. Dust she was scary!

'Because he refuses to answer our questions.' Elaine said calmly, but Zephyr could practically feel the cold that emanated from her words.

Zephyr, however, still didn't see why that meant they had to stalk him. 'Still. I don't understand why that means we have to **stalk** the man. I mean, Dust Elaine! Do you have any idea how creepy we look right now?!'

Elaine frowned. 'I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.'

Zephyr shook his head. 'We. are. **STALKING**. Someone. How can you not understand how creepy that is?'

Elaine frowned further. 'We are not stalking him. We are **OBSERVING**. It is completely different and absolutely not creepy at all.' She replied indignantly.

Zephyr internally rolled his eyes. How could anyone find the sight of three figures in overcoats and fedoras wearing sunglasses and following a weak looking teen NOT creepy.

'Oh, so we are 'observing' are we?' He asked sarcastically, earning another glare from Elaine that promptly shut him up. Zephyr chuckled awkwardly before making his way over to Kitsune, who was a couple of steps in front of them and attempting to hide (and failing miserably) behind a lamp post.

'Kitsune?' He asked. 'Why exactly are we putting so much effort into following him?' Zephyr gave a sly grin. 'You wouldn't happen to have a thing for him would you?'

Zephyr began to shake a little as he felt the dark aura usually reserved for Arden. Dust! How the hell did he deal with it?!

'I'm kidding.' He said unconvincingly, putting his hands up in defence. The dark aura vanished, but Kitsune glared at him coolly. 'Still.' Zephyr said, regaining his composure. 'You can't tell me that you think what we are doing isn't strange in the slightest?'

Kitsune frowned. Zephyr was being reasonable, but Arden was definitely hiding something and she needed to know what it was. Not so much out of curiosity, but more out of stubbornness and indignation at Arden's refusal to answer her and his wilful ignoring of every inquiry she made. HE WAS IGNORING HER. 'It doesn't matter. He's hiding something, and I need to know what it is.' She said.

Zephyr failed to surpress a groan. 'Can't we just stop. We've been at this for THREE DAYS already.'

Three days. Three days that Kitsune had been sticking to Arden like a shadow. Three days that she had hunted him down to every corner of the Academy. Three days that Arden had ignored every inquiry she made which only served to make the Fox Faunus more frustrated and annoyed. Three days and she still knew nothing. It also didn't help that Elaine decided to get both her and him involved. So for three days they had been essentially STALKING the man. This was creepy.

Kitsune looked Zephyr in the eye. 'If it's bothering you that much then you are welcome to leave whenever you feel like it.' Kitsune returned to observing Arden just in time to see him turn the corner and she quickly followed with Elaine not to far behind.

Zephyr let out a long sigh. _Like I can just leave. I need to make sure you guys don't accidentally kill him or worse._ Zephyr shuddered at the thought and followed the two suspicious looking girls.

* * *

Arden had absolutely no idea where he was heading, he was simply wandering, hoping that he would come across a nice place to rest by chance.

Even if he was currently being stalked by his team members, that didn't mean he should deprive himself of his sleep.

That was why he was pleasantly surprised (and confused) when he followed a random path and ended up at a park. The park was quite lovely, and had a fountain in its centre, but what immediately garnered Arden's attention was the lush green grass.

Grass that Arden made his way over to and instantly lay down upon. Arden let out a satisfied sigh, the grass was truly as comfortable as it looked. He then looked up at the sky through his trade mark spectacles; the most important item he owned. They didn't help improve his sight, considering his vision was fine and the lens were fake, but they had been a gift from a friend and he cherished it greatly. He gazed up at the clouds, enjoying the various shapes they made as the midday sun kissed his cheeks. This place was perfect, or would be if it weren't for all the families around and the three very suspicious teens hiding in the bushes examining him with intense gazes.

Arden sighed internally. He had no idea why Kitsune suddenly took an interest in him, or why she would always track him down, or how she managed to drag Zephyr and Elaine into it. No, that wasn't true...he knew the reason she was following him, but he seriously did NOT want to explain. That would take far to much effort and would interfere with his dream, or at the very least cause issues for him later on. Nope he would not answer her no matter how persistent or creepy her acts were.

Arden yawned. The grass really was comfortable, and as the sounds around him slowly faded, he fell asleep.

* * *

_This is so creepy._ Zephyr thought as he and the others hid behind the bushes. 'Uhh...guys?'

Elaine groaned. 'What is it this time Zephyr?' She snapped, getting fed up with the Hawk Faunus continually voicing his reservations about what was going on.

'I know we're stalk-' Zephyr corrected himself when he noticed Elaine's glare. 'Observing Arden, but do you think we could do it in a different manner?'

'Why?' Elaine huffed.

'Because.' Zephyr started. 'We are currently in a park full of families with children and with the way we are acting and are dressed I would not be surprised if someone were to call the cops.'

A thoughtful look came over Elaine and she looked at Kitsune. 'Kit?'

Kitsune stopped observing Arden and looked towards her two friends who were waiting for an answer. 'There's no need. I already used my Semblance to create a cover for us. Anyone looking at us will only see rather large bushes.'

Her friends nodded in understanding and Kitsune returned to her 'observing'. From what she could tell, Arden was asleep? She wasn't to certain. It was quite hard to tell considering he was incredibly consistent in his manner and you could never tell what he was thinking with those glasses hiding his eyes.

Zephyr sighed internally, but made no more objections. However, after about twenty minutes had passed, and Arden showed no sign of movement, Zephyr decided to break the silence. 'Why did you guys come to Beacon?'

Kitsune ignored him and continued her watch, but Elaine, bored from doing nothing but sitting, spoke up. 'Why?'

Zephyr shrugged. 'Just curious. We've known each other for three months now but I don't think I've ever asked you guys. So hell, why not now? Not as if we're going anywhere anytime soon.' He explained.

Elaine thought for a moment. 'You first.'

'I asked first'. Zephyr teased, then gave an awkward chuckle as Elaine glared at him. 'Well, my grandfather was a sniper in the Faunus Wars.'

'Your grandfather was a soldier?' Elaine asked, obviously impressed.

Zephyr nodded. 'Yup. Used to boast that he could hit a needle in a haystack from a thousand yards away.' Zephyr chuckled. 'He got a bit fruity in his later years, but I always admired him. He used to tell me.' Zephyr attempted to make his voice mimic an old mans as he spoke. _'Zephyr. Us Faunus aint so different from them humans. We bleed just the same as them. It's Grimm you want to worry about. Nasty blighters just aint natural! Almost took me arm off one of them did!'_ Zephyr chuckled as his voice returned to normal. 'I wanted to be just like him and I guess I sorta took his words to heart, so I decided to become a Hunter.'

Elaine was silent for a moment as she watched Zephyr. The Hawk Faunus smiled softly as he talked about his grandfather, and the sight caused her to blush slightly. 'I see...'

Zephyr went silent, waiting for Elaine to respond. However, as Elaine was about to speak, something took her attention. 'Do you hear that?'

Zephyr looked at the Faunus girl in confusion. 'Hear what?'

Elaine crawled closer to the edge of the bushes and looked around. Her eyes scanned the park intently, searching, before her eyes spotted the source of the sound. Elaine pointed, and Zephyr and Kitsune looked where she pointed. On the far side of the park, there was a young girl, probably about four or five. Usually they wouldn't have noticed it, overlooked the girl like so many others were currently doing. However, what grasped Elaine's attention was the two cat-like ears that were atop her head. She was a Faunus girl, and she was crying.

Why was she crying?

Because three larger, Human boys were harassing her.

The sight pissed off Elaine and co. to no end, understanding what the kid was going through. However, before they did anything rash, someone else moved first.

* * *

Arden made his way over to the source of the sound that had awoken him. Very few things could wake Arden easily, but this was one of the few.

What he came upon caused him to frown. A young Faunus girl was being bullied by three older boys. They looked to be about nine or ten, meaning they had some knowledge of what they were doing. Which was why Arden didn't feel so guilty when he approached from behind and knocked them all across the head.

The three boys were surprised and mad but when they turned around and saw Arden, who was much taller than them, they flinched. Teary eyed, they ran off leaving Arden and the Faunus girl alone. Arden looked back at the small girl who was looking at him with fear. He saw the tears that were still on her face but were quickly drying and frowned internally.

He hated it when children cried. It was one of the few things that always managed to wake him up.

Arden thought for a moment, then decided to do something to cheer her up. Arden turned around, grabbed some clumps of grass and set to work. By the time he was done, he turned around and presented his gift to the Faunus girl with a triumphant grin on his face. The Faunus girls eyes went wide, in wonder this time and not fear, and she greedily grabbed the construct from Arden's hand, which was a bear he made completely out of leaves.

'How did you do that!' She exclaimed in only the wonder and admiration that a child could make.

Arden smiled.

* * *

Kitsune, Zephyr and Elaine all shared the same dumbfounded expression as they watched Arden with the Faunus girl. The same thought running through their heads.

_Arden...smiles?_

To them it was a foreign thing. Arden always had the same neutral expression whenever he was around them, so seeing him smile and even laugh and get frustrated as he attempted to show the Faunus girl how he managed to create that grass bear was like they were seeing an Ursa dancing in a polka-dot tutu. After ten minutes had passed, they watched as the girls parents appeared and she left with them, taking the grass bear and waving goodbye to Arden. Arden waved back and as soon as the Faunus family was out of sight, Arden simply relaxed and lay down on the ground.

Zephyr was pleased. Arden really wasn't that bad. Hell, he anyone who stood up to bullies was alright in his book.

Elaine was impressed. Though she may not like humans in general, Arden included, she couldn't deny that what he did did earn him a few points with her.

Kitsune was...conflicted. Out of all of them, she hated humans the most. She could deal with the Professors at Beacon due to the respect she had for their occupation, but she didn't hold the same respect for others. To her, humans were just innately selfish beings who only thought about themselves, with no regard for others. Yet Arden...

Needless to say she was getting frustrated as she continued to observe the sleeping teen, almost missing the development that was now occurring before her eyes.

* * *

Arden sat up on the ground as several men wearing the standard Vale Police uniform approached him.

'Excuse me?' One asked as Arden got to his feet. 'Were you the one responsible for this?'

Arden tilted his head to the side and looked past the officer to see the very angry parents of the kids that had been bullying the Faunus child not to long ago. Arden then looked at the officer, who was still awaiting his answer.

Arden sighed.

He wouldn't notice that he dropped his Journal as he immediately made a mad dash away from the scene with the officers close behind.

* * *

As soon as the officers and parents had left the scene, Kitsune left their hiding place with the other two following close behind.

'Sooo...what now?' Zephyr asked as Kitsune looked and successfully found Arden's Journal and began to read through it.

Elaine shrugged. 'Who cares? We got what we wanted.'

Zephyr raised a brow at her. 'We did?'

Elaine nodded. 'Yup. We originally were looking for a chance to take that book of his. He's always writing in it so it has to have something important.'

Zephyr thought for a moment. 'Makes sense.' He mused. Zephyr looked over at Kitsune, whose expression identified a great inner conflict. 'Kitsune?'

No response

'Kit?' Elaine asked, her voice lined with concern as she noticed her friends expression.

Both teens gasped in surprise as Kitsune dropped the Journal and ran in the direction of the fleeing Arden. Elaine was the first to recover and quickly followed her, but Zephyr paused, and looked at the dropped Journal. Curious as to what Kitsune must have seen in the book to make her react like that, Zephyr decided to pick it up and open it. He raised a brow as he saw the opening page: _How to create a world where I can sleep_, but as Zephyr turned the next page and read what was on it, a small smile adorned his face.

_So this is why she ran._

Zephyr put the Journal in his jacket pocket and made after the two, heading after Arden and hoping he hadn't been caught by the police yet. He smirked as he ran.

_I REALLY ought to buy that guy a drink_

* * *

I don't like seeing children cry.

I can't stand the sound of a child weeping because they lost something important.

I can never sleep. I always wake up.

Children shouldn't be crying because they lost their families to Grimm, to war, to racism.

Children should be children. Growing up as stupid kids with stupid friends doing stupid things.

They should be crying because they injured themselves doing something stupid and have someone there to pick them up and tell them everything is alright.

Then do the same thing over and over again.

They shouldn't be forced to grow up just because the world demands it.

They shouldn't be disturbing my sleep either.

So I'll enter Beacon to create my ideal world.

Hell, I have to start somewhere, so why not become a Hunter?

I know I may not even get to see my dream realised. That's what makes following your dreams fun though.

If dreams could be realised instantly, they wouldn't be dreams. They'd be convenience.

That would make dreams not worth having.

So I'll become a Hunter and work towards my dream. My dream of creating my ideal world.

A world where I don't wake up because some child is mourning their murdered mother.

A world where Humans and Faunus live in harmony, where their constant fighting and bickering and hate doesn't spread to their children.

A world where the Grimm no longer leave behind orphans, where groups like the White Fang are no longer necessary.

A world where children can smile with their families and just be children.

A world where I can finally sleep.


	5. Lost Journal and a Frustrated Kitsune

_Kitsune sat on board the airship headed to Beacon, reading over a letter given to her by her father. She loved her father dearly, and though he was against her going to Beacon, he sent her off with a smile and the letter in question. Initially, Kitsune had been hesitant to read it, trying to gather the courage as she recalled what her father said to her._

_'Your Mother wrote this for you before she died.' Kitsune was shocked and asked her father what was in it, but he simply shook his head. 'I don't know. I promised her I wouldn't read it. She said it was for your eyes only.' Her father chuckled but his eyes revealed a great sadness and yearning within them as he thought of her. 'You know how she feels about keeping promises.' She only nodded in reply. Not wanting to send her off on such a sad note, her father ruffled her hair as he gave loud, bellowing laughter. 'Best be off then kitten! Wouldn't want to miss your flight now would you?' Kitsune stuck out her tongue at the mention of her fathers pet name for her. He knew she hated being called kitten or any of its variants. She then quickly embraced him, then her little brother and sister, who were trying their best not to cry before boarding the airship. She looked at them one last time as the ship took off and waved, and kept waving until she coud see them no more._

_When Kitsune had finally gathered the courage and read the letter, she found that her mood would sour as soon as she reached the end. Kitsune's hands trembled as she read through the letter for the tenth time. Trembling in anger, in frustration, in melancholy. She couldn't understand why her mother wrote what she did. Kitsune put the letter back in it's envelope and shoved it in her bag. A dark cloud hung over her head as she sat in silence, her mothers words ringing over and over in her head, a particular sentence standing out amongst the rest._

_'Kitsune, please don't blame the Humans.'_

It wouldn't be until three months later that she would understand why her mother wrote what she did.

* * *

It didn't take much effort on Arden's part to lose the police. A left here, a right there, running through some alleys and buildings before turning a corner and seamlessly becoming one with the crowded street; dumbfounding his pursuers and escaping their grasp as they ran in the opposite direction.

Arden stretched in his seat. Raising his arms and leaning back in the chair, letting out a sigh of relief as he felt the kinks in his back loosen slightly and his muscles relaxed. He lowered his arms and grabbed the milkshake that sat on the table in front of him and drank through the straw, surveying the area before him as he did so.

He sat at a table in a small but pleasant Cafe he had come across in the aftermath of the chase. As he hadn't had anything to eat since eight that morning, it was only natural the he would grow hungry, and the constant walking and running that had occurred throughout the day only intensified that fact.

Arden stopped drinking the milkshake and sighed. Arden had been doing a lot of running these past few days. Dust, he hated running, so much energy put into getting from Point A to Point B quickly when it was so much easier to walk; who cares if it takes longer? Still, he couldn't help but wonder what he had done to deserve this. He hadn't done anything differently, but next thing he knows he's being chased, stalked, shadowed and pestered by people who would usually have nothing to do with him.

'Your order sir.'

Arden nodded in thanks to the waitress who placed the plate neatly before him, and the waitres responded in kind before dealing with another customer. Arden looked back at the plate and his eyes lit up under his glasses while a small smile formed on his lips. On the plate was a beautiful slice of chocolate cake. Arden took the spoon next to it and scooped a piece and brought it to his mouth. His body trembled in pleasure as the rich electrifying flavour and creamy texture met his lips and slid down his throat. It was if the heavens themselves sent this dainty gift from above as a reward for all his troubles. Arden ate slowly, as to savour the taste of every bite. When he finished, he went up to the counter, paid for the cake, then was on his way.

As Arden walked the street, he took out his pocket watch and checked the time. It was only 1:30 meaning he had plenty of time before the last Airship to Beacon, and he decided to do what he had been doing previously, writing in his journal. However, when he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and found nothing, he froze. He opened his jacket and looked, but sure enough, nothing was there. Thinking he may have put it in another pocket, he checked the ones in his vest and pants, but still nothing.

Arden frowned. _I must have dropped it while I was running._ The thought caused Arden to involuntary scowl. His journal was precious, a gift he received from someone long since passed, and he cursed himself for being so stupid as to lose it. He thought for a moment as to when he could've lost it, and decided that a good a place as any to start looking was the park. Problem being, he had no idea where it was. He had come across the park by chance and didn't have enough time to memorise the area. However, that wouldn't and did not deter him from seeking it out. And he once more made his way down the street, in the opposite direction of three suspiciously dressed teens.

* * *

Elaine was concerned for Kitsune. Her friend's expression was still one of conflict, beads of sweat trailing down her face and her breathing heavy, as if she was in the middle of a heated battle.

'K-' A hand on her shoulder interrupted her and Elaine turned to see Zephyr shaking his head.

'She needs to do this on her own.' He said, his voice barely a whisper so that Kitsune would not hear.

Elaine couldn't understand. 'Do what exactly?'

'I don't know.' Zephyr replied honestly, his hand giving a reassuring squeeze. 'All I know is that this is something she has to deal with. Alone.'

Elaine was going to protest, but Zephyr shot her a sharp look and she shut her mouth. It was uncharacteristic of him to act like that, so she understood that it must be important. Elaine nodded her head and Zephyr gave a small grin as he removed his hand and walked in step with her. Elaine looked at Kitsune, who still bore that same expression as they walked through the crowded street.

They had followed the police for quite some time, before the police finally realised Arden had disappeared and ended their search. The three teens continued to search the area for a couple more hours but had come across no sign of him. Kitsune refused to drop the search and Elaine simply followed, not willing to leave her friend alone in her current state. Elaine sighed, they would have found Arden sooner if it weren't for the city. The hundreds of mingling scents and sounds made tracking him nearly impossible.

Elaine looked up at the sky. It was slowly getting darker and the lights had turned on. 'Kitsune. Maybe we should head back.' She suggested after some thought. 'We aren't going to find him anytime soon and it's getting dark. There's a huge chance he could be back at Beacon by now.'

Kitsune stopped walking. She considered Elaine's words, which were reasonable, but Kitsune didn't want to take any chances. 'You guys go on ahead. I'm going to keep looking.'

'You can't expect us to just leave you here.' Elaine replied, annoyed that Kitsune would suggest it.

Kitsune threw her off guard with a smile. 'I'll be fine Elaine. I'm just going to look around for a little while longer and then I'll meet with you guys on the flight to Beacon.'

Elaine frowned. 'Like I'm-'. Elaine was cut off as Zephyr covered her mouth with his hand.

'Do you have any idea how you're going to find him?' He said, ignoring the sense of foreboding he felt as the Lioness Faunus trembled in rage.

Kitsune shook her head. 'No. Any suggestions?'

Zephyr grinned and with is free hand he reached into one of the many pockets of the overcoat and produced Arden's journal. 'This is important right?' Zephyr handed the journal to her. 'I'm not sure, but maybe Arden is looking for it right now.'

Kitsune took the journal and quickly shoved it in her pocket. 'You may be right.'

Zephyr shrugged. 'Maybe. Elaine and I will start making our way back now and we will message you if we come across him.'

Kitsune nodded, then once more set on her way, waving goodbye to them. Once she was out of sight, Zephyr removed his hand from Elaine's mouth.

Elaine glared at him, and Zephyr could feel it even though his back was turned. Zephyr carefully turned to face her, with a nervous expression as he took the full intensity of the glare she was giving him. 'Elaine?'

Elaine looked at him coldly. 'I'm going to go with you to the airship. Not because of the possibility that we may come across Arden.' Elaine gave a menacing grin and cracked her knuckles, and Zephyr recoiled in horror as he understood the gesture.

'Can I at least have a head start?'

Elaine shook her head. 'N-'

Before Elaine could finish, Zephyr broke out in a run. Elaine chased after him. 'ZEPHYR! GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!'

'NO!'

* * *

It was early evening by the time Arden finally found the park. The spectacled teen spent the next couple of hours but was no closer to finding his Journal. Arden looked up. The moons had risen and the stars dotted the canvas of the sky. Arden returned to his search, scouring every inch of the park; even the areas he hadn't been just in case someone had accidentally kicked it there.

The though caused him to scowl. Arden continued his search with vigour, something that would surprise anyone that knew him. However, by eight, he found nothing.

_Maybe I dropped it in one of the alleys._ He frowned at the thought. He couldn't remember the exact route he had taken, meaning he would have to search the surrounding area and hope that it hadn't been ruined...or worse.

Arden was disappointed with himself. How could he lose something so important?

_..well. No use standing here then._

Arden began walking in the direction he believed he ran earlier that day. However, as he neared the exit, he stopped walking.

_Crying?_

Arden looked around, and easily found the source of the sound coming from a nearby bench. He recognised the little girl sitting there, and as he approached he recalled the name that her parents had said when they picked her up.

'Amelia?'

The Faunus girl jumped and looked up from the ground and at the man who stood directly in front of her. She was scared at first, but as Arden smiled she recognised who he was. Arden froze as he saw her face; stained with tears and sporting a red mark on her cheek. Arden was going to ask her about it, but had very little time to as she hopped off the bench and wrapped her arms around him, burying her head in his stomach. Arden simply stood there as she wept, never sure of how to act in these situations. Eventually, Arden gently pried her off him and brought himself down to her level. He gave her a gentle smile, the sight of which caused her to calm down, though she still shook.

'Why are you crying?' Arden asked, genuine concern in his voice.

Amelia was still upset, but Arden's presence had managed to soothe her and she was able to form a coherent sentence. 'Please...' She pleaded, causing Arden listen carefully to her words.

'Please save my parents.'

* * *

It was eight thirty by the time Kitsune entered the park. Since she had parted ways with the others, she had backtracked to where Arden had disappeared and did the route he had taken when running from the police in reverse. This was the last place she had to check before the last airship to Beacon at nine. She had told Elaine and Zephyr to head to Beacon and that she would meet them at the dorm and to inform her if Arden was already there. Elaine had messaged her saying that Arden was nowhere at Beacon. When Kitsune asked where Zephyr was, she saw a dark, menacing look briefly flash across Elaine's face and Kitsune decided to drop the subject.

She sincerely hope nobody was missing when she got back, or in the infirmary.

Kitsune put her hands in her pocket but quickly pulled them out when she felt Arden's journal. The small, red journal was like a heavy weight, the words written like an existence that challenged her own.

_To create my ideal world._

What a stupid idea. Change the world? Only an idiot would consider it, and only a fool would follow such a dream.

_That's what makes following your dreams fun though._

It doesn't matter if it's fun. The world won't change. Your dreams will come to nothing. Why bother trying to change the world? Why bother following such a foolish dream? And for what? Somewhere to sleep? Ridiculous!

_My dream of creating my ideal world._

Your ideal world. How arrogant. At least she takes the world as it is. She doesn't bother trying to change it. What's the point? The Humans are the ones with the bigger guns, they could kill at any moment, and she wouldn't be surprised if they did decide to do that. Humans are selfish beings who only-

_A world where I don't wake up because some child is mourning their murdered mother._

Kitsune suddenly felt really hot and gave a beast like snarl. Trying to cool off, she ditched the overcoat and fedora, and sat down on a nearby bench in her casual clothing. She felt frustrated and confused. Right now she didn't care if she missed the airship, all she wanted was for this unfamiliar and painful feeling to leave her alone.

'Miss. Are you alright?'

Kitsune ignored the voice.

'Miss?'

Kitsune grew irritated

'Hellllooooooo.'

Kitsune was growing more irritated by the second. She looked up and was about to snap at whoever was annoying her but stopped when she saw that it was a small, Cat Faunus girl.

'Wow Miss!' The girl said in amazement as she saw Kitsune's face. 'You're really pretty!'

Kitsune managed a small smile. The girl looked at Kitsune's ears and tail. 'You're a Faunus!' She exclaimed in glee. 'Just like me!'

Kitsune gave a small chuckle and watched as the girl sat down to the vacant spot next to her. 'So what's your name?' She asked.

Kitsune smiled, less forced this time. 'Kitsune.'

'Nice to meet you Kitsune! I'm Amelia!' The Cat Faunus girl introduced with a large obnoxious grin.

Kitsune liked this girl. She reminded her alot of her little sister back home. 'Well Amelia. It is nice to meet you too.'

'I know.' Amelia replied cheekily, reminding Kitsune even more of her little sister. 'So what are you doing here Miss? You look sad.'

Kitsune raised a brow at the girl. 'What makes you say that?'

'Because.' Amelia struck a thoughtful pose. 'Daddy say that you can tell when a woman is upset by the state of her ears.' Amelia then tilted her head to the side in confusion. 'I think it only applies to Faunus though. Humans ears don't do much.'

Kitsune chuckled a bit before letting out a sigh. 'I guess I am a bit upset about something.'

Amelia didn't like how Kitsune became sad once more, and after some thought, decided that she had a way to make her feel better. "Watch this Miss.' Amelia said as she hopped off the bench and grabbed some grass. Kitsune watched as Amelia made several movements with her hands and produced an odd structure. Amelia presented her creation to Kitsune proudly and was eagerly awaiting her response.

Not wanting to make the girls efforts go to waste, Kitsune smiled. 'It's very nice.'

'Yup. My friend showed me how to make it.'

'A friend?' Kitsune questioned.

'Yup. I met him today. He's really nice, just like you Miss. I think you two would get along.'

Kitsune chuckled. 'Oh really?'

Amelia nodded. 'Yup. He's Human, but he's not like other Humans. He saved me from some bullies and then showed me how to make this Bear!'

Kitsune paused. Then she mentally slapped herself for not realising sooner that this was the girl from earlier today. Kitsune then slapped herself once more for not asking this question sooner. 'Amelia. Where are your parents?'

Amelia's cheery nature suddenly deflated, and Kitsune wondered if she had said something wrong. 'They're...they're in trouble...'

Kitsune gently grabbed Amelia and led her back towards the bench. Amelia sat down without any hassle before she continued to speak. 'We were just walking back home when some men in suits came out of nowhere and grabbed mum and dad and me.' Amelia began to shake. 'They were about to chuck me in the van when my dad knocked the guy out and told me to run.' Amelia started to get watery eyed. 'I didn't want to run. I didn't want to leave them but-'

Kitsune wrapped her arms around Amelia as the Cat Faunus began to cry. Kitsune felt her heart tear. Eventually, Amelia stopped, and Kitsune was surprised to find a smile on the young girls face. 'But everything's going to be fine!' She exclaimed. 'Because Mr. Arden is going to save them.'

Kitsune hid her shock, surprise and disbelief. 'Mr. Arden?'

Amelia nodded with surprising vigour. 'My friend. He said he would save them and told me to wait here.'

Kitsune didn't know what to feel. She didn't know how to respond. She didn't know what to think. And as she stared at Amelia's smiling face, free of all sadness and doubt, one thing entered her head. A single line that played over and over and carried so much weight for the one that formed it that Kitsune began to understand just how sincere Arden was.

_I don't like seeing children cry._

* * *

It didn't take him long to find where her parents were taken. There weren't many places were you could take Faunus without someone making a comment on it.

_So stereotypical._ He thought, as he put back his pocket watch after checking the time. It was 8:30. _Taking them to an abandoned warehouse._

Arden looked down at them from the railing. There were about ten of them, men in black and white suits circled around Amelia's parents as they jeered and spat at them. Arden couldn't hear what they were saying. He didn't care. He lost his journal. He had no decent sleeping spots. He had been stalked for three days. Yet these were all things he could deal with.

They made a little girl cry.

Arden readied his arm as he turned the power off, bathing the room in darkness.

The frenzied and surprised gasps could be heard throughout.

Which was soon replaced by horrific, dreadful screaming as Arden began his attack.

* * *

'Mommy! Daddy!'

Amelia ran up to her parents and gave them big hugs, refusing to let go except to thank Arden for keeping his promise and waving goodbye to him and Kitsune. The two teens sent the family off with happy faces, but as soon as they were out of sight the two immediately reverted to their normal states (Kitsune did. Arden was pretty much the same as he always was; lethargic).

Kitsune placed her hand on Arden's shoulder, keeping a firm grip just in case he decided to run off. To her surprise, Arden didn't tense nor made any indication of escape. 'I need to talk to you.' Her tone was firm and final. 'Now.'

Kitsune would find herself surprised twice more. The first was when Arden responded to her request with an actual sentence rather than a single word response.

'I will. Later, but first. Please remember.' The second surprise was when Arden began to sway and collapse on the ground. 'No hospitals.'

Kitsune stood shocked for a second then looked at the unconscious Arden. She crouched down and turned him over as to examine him. He had no visible wounds, so there was a huge chance that he collapsed due to over exertion. However, to be thorough, she unbuttoned his vest and almost hurled. There was a huge mount of blood seeping through his shirt primarily from his abdomen.

_No hospitals_. Kitsune had to to think fast. She could see just how bad his injury was just by its effect, it had to be patched up as soon as possible. _No hospitals._ A Hospital would be the safest option. She had passed one on her way here, and it wouldn't take her to long to get there.

_No hospitals._ Arden's desperate words refused to leave her head. He had a reason why he didn't want to enter one. She didn't know what it was. In fact, she didn't know much about him at all. Kitsune thought once more about what she should do.

_Damnit!_ Kitsune cursed herself for what she was about to do.

* * *

Kitsune lay Arden down on the bed. Using her semblance, she made him appear completely healthy and fine as they received the key to the room from the hotel clerk, who gave them both a wink as they set on their way.

Kitsune rolled her eyes at the thought of the implications of the mans actions. It also did't help that she was currently removing Arden's clothing so she could get a better look at the wound. She first removed his dark brown jacket (which was more akin to a coat now that she got a closer look). She then unbuttoned and removed his light brown vest, carefully as to not agitate the wound. Finally, she unbuttoned his long sleeved shirt, which was white but now stained red with blood, and got a better look at him.

Kitsune shuddered as she saw the sight of his bloody torso. She was used to seeing blood, but not as much as this. Kitsune grabbed a towel that she had wet previously and cleaned the wounds. After that, she then used some bandages she picked up on the way here and patched it up.

_That's going to have to do._ She thought as she finished. Kitsune looked at the unconscious Arden, who had begun to snore. Kitsune rolled her eyes. _By all rights, he should have died from that. Now he's sleeping._ Kitsune shook her head. _What is up with him?_

Kitsune heard a beeping sound and checked her scroll. _Probably Elaine._ Kitsune answered and opened her mouth to explain, but was cut off by shouting from Zephyr.

'KITSUNE! YOU GOTTA HELP ME!'

'Why do you have Elaine's scroll?' Kitsune questioned. From the video feed she could see Elaine in the background of their dorm room. Tied to a chair. 'Why is Elaine tied to a chair?'

'THAT ISN'T IMPORTANT!' said a desperate Zephyr. 'WHEN ARE YOU-Hey. Why are you in a hotel room?'

Kitsune raised a brow and sighed internally at how quickly Zephyr changed topics despite the fact she could see Elaine fuming with rage. 'How did you know this is a hotel room?'

'I moved around a lot as a kid, and most of Vale's hotels share the same room designs.'

'Yes. I'm at a hotel.' Kitsune confirmed.

'So I take it you didn't find Arden?' Zephyr questioned, sounding unusually downcast.

Kitsune shook her head. 'No. I found him. He's with me now.'

Zephyr paused, processing what she had told him, and then a playful grin came onto his face. 'Sooooo~ You and Arden are at a hotel~ Alooooonnnnnnneeeee~ at niiiiiigggggggghhhhhhht~.'

It took a moment, but Kitsune understood what he meant and frowned at him. Before she could retort, Zephyr smirked and quickly hung up.

_Idiot..._

Kitsune looked at the sleeping Arden. 'This is all your fault you know.' She said as she sat up on the bed. 'If you had just answered my questions when I asked then I wouldn't be here right now.'

Kitsune stopped talking as Arden shifted but returned to normal as he winced in pain. Kitsune looked at the bandages. _Did he get that from saving Amelia's parents?_ Kitsune didn't want to believe it, but it was more than likely that that was the case. _I don't understand. Why would you save them? They're not Human. You didn't know them. You didn't owe them anything. So why?_

As if in response to her thoughts, Arden mumbled something in his sleep. '...don't like...cry...'

_I don't like seeing children cry._ Kitsune simply stared at Arden as she filled in the blanks of what he was more than likely saying. Kitsune shook her head, not in disapproval, but because she couldn't understand him.

_'Kitsune, please don't blame the Humans.'_

Kitsune lay down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling as she recalled her mother letter. The memory caused her to become very, very tired...but...she was starting to get what she meant. As Kitsune fell asleep, her dreams would be of her mother reading that letter to her in a soft voice.

* * *

Hey Kitten,

You're twelve now, and I can see that you're going to became a fine young woman. No doubt about that, you're my daughter after all. I may not be around for much longer though. The doctors said they couldn't do anything for my...condition.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm not going to be there to see you grow up, to be there for you as your body undergoes strange and frightening changes. That I'm not going to be there when you feel sad and alone, like the whole world is against you. I'm so sorry and the letters I write cannot do my emotions justice. I just want you to know that I love you, Kitsune, and no matter what separates us, even death, that that will never change.

Kitsune, take care of yourself and your brother and sister for me. Your father is too easygoing. Children need some form of discipline set out if they are to become fine adults. Though, I don't know why I'm writing this. Knowing you, you will have taken up that role anyway. You always tended to fill in for me when I wasn't around.

Looks like they're in good hands.

I told your father to give this to you when he felt the time was right. I made him promise not to read it, so he doesn't know. These words are for you and you alone, and this is something I want to leave with you after I'm gone.

Kitsune, don't blame the Humans.

Don't hate them.

I know that you blame them for my condition and for your fathers joblessness. I know you hate it how they jeer and poke fun at us because of who we are, how angered you get when they tease and bully your bother and sister.

I know you get into fights. You think I didn't notice how you tried to hide it? Hmph, I may be dying but my mind hasn't gone yet! Which is why I know some day that you'll need to hear this.

Not all Humans are bad. Not all Humans despise us.

But maybe by the time you read this, my words may have no effect.

So I hope you meet someone. Someone that can affect you. A Human who doesn't fit the detestable mould that has formed in your perception of them.

Not all Humans are bad. Some Humans care a lot about everything around them, Human and Faunus alike, and it will show in their actions. They will confuse you, they will frustrate you, but that is the type of person I hope you meet.

The type of person you need.

Kitsune, I know these words may not make much sense, but know that I write this out of love for you.

Never, ever, doubt that.

I love you Kitten.

Your Mother always,

Hope Veritas.

* * *

Arden groaned as he awoke. He could feel every muscle in his body feel like it would fall apart at any moment. It didn't help that his veins had burst after he freed Amelia's parents. Luckily he had managed to maintain conciousness until he escorted them back to Amelia, but as soon they left he couldn't hold it any longer and collapsed.

He grunted as he sat up on the bed, clutching his stomach, the site where most of his veins had burst; his veins bursting as an unfortunate side effect of his Semblance. Arden, still drowsy, could vaguely make out that he was in a room.

Arden wondered how he got here. Then, as if on cue, he heard light snoring from his right. Looking in said direction, he recalled how he got here as he looked upon the sleeping face of Kitsune.

_She must have brought me here after I fainted._

Arden was thankful for that. He hated hospitals, the doctors always asked to many unnecessary questions when they saw his right arm.

He could not be bothered answering those.

Arden decided he should wake her up, seeing as he would need her help to get back to Beacon without any fear of being attacked by Elaine. However, as he shook her shoulder and she awoke, she had forgotten that she was the one the brought both of them here, and promptly slapped Arden on the face, knocking him out cold.


	6. The Request of Marcus Lyre

_'You have doubts?'_

_'I apologise Master Lyre, it's just that this is highly unorthodox, even by your standards.'_

_'I understand your reservations Raymond. However, I must ask you to trust my judgement in this matter.'_

_'As always Master Lyre. Shall I make the necessary preparations?'_

_'No need. I have already informed Beacons Headmaster of my intent, and he has responded favourably.'_

_'I see. When do you set out?'_

_'Tomorrow.'_

_'So soon?'_

_'Tensions within Notus are getting worse by the hour. If we are to avoid the outbreak of civil war, we must acquire as many resources possible in the time frame given.'_

_'I see. In that case, I shall watch over the young Ms. while you are away.'_

_'No need, because you and her are coming with me.'_

_'Sir?'_

_'Do not look so shocked. I value your insight in these matters Ray. To leave you here does you little justice. Besides, you have seen how fond Amelia is of them.'_

* * *

Arden never expected to share such camaraderie with Zephyr. The Hawk Faunus with wavy grey hair lay hidden in the trees above while Arden occupied the shrub below. Both allowed their eyes to wander over their designated areas, searching for any sign of their perspective marks. The forest was unusually quiet today, the only sound being the branches rustling with the whispers of the wind. The pair were silent and still like the dead, but as alert and attentive as hunted animals.

Arden's heart began to beat a little faster as he saw a shadow in the distance. He tried to calm himself down, just in case it became so loud that it would give away his position. It was a failed effort, and as the shadow grew closer his heart became like the frenzied beating of a drum and a thin line of sweat trailed from his brow to his cheek.

The shadow was growing closer now, and the black mass was slowly starting to take form. As quietly as he could, Arden scooted over to the tree and knocked on its trunk never taking his eyes off the encroaching shadow. Arden waited for a response. A small gust of wind blew in front of him and carried with it three leaves, that landed gently in front of Arden; a message from Zephyr.

Understanding the code they had formed out of necessity, Arden slowly and carefully began his retreat. He could hear Zephyr unfurl his wings and Arden began to move a little faster. If Arden could hear it in the quiet of the forest, then 'they' definitely could.

Arden moved through the shrubs as Zephyr quietly glided from tree to tree. The Hawk Faunus scanned the area ahead, his sharp eyes taking note of every minute movement of the forest. Seeing nothing, Zephyr quickly glanced over at Arden. Zephyr couldn't help but smirk good naturedly as he saw the spectacled teen, who was following the path of their quiet retreat. Zephyr found it surprising that the two of them had formed a bond of sorts. Not quite friends, not quite enemies, but strangers who were slowly getting to know one another.

_I guess that's what happens when your life is on the line_. Zephyr mused over-dramatically as he glided over to another tree. He curled his wings and was about to land, but he panicked as he found his foot going through the mirage.

_They're here._ Zephyr looked over at Arden, who was a little ahead of him. _I have to warn him._ 'AR-'

Zephyr's warning came to late as Arden shuffled forward and right into a mirage concealed pit trap. Zephyr quickly made his way over to the pit. Making sure he was safe from any surprise attacks, Zephyr leaned over and offered his hand to the dazed Arden. Arden recovered, and a small grin formed on his face as he accepted Zephyr's hand. Zephyr smirked, and after some effort, managed to get Arden out of the pit.

Arden nodded in thanks, grateful to be free of the pit, and Zephyr couldn't help but grin. Who knew that in five days they would be helping one another through such a dangerous time?

Zephyr mused on the subject, and failed to notice Arden tense as a figure appeared behind the Hawk Faunus. Before Zephyr knew it, Arden had pushed him out of the way and the spectacled teen was immediately bound by several thin strands of metal rope, that covered Arden's body like a cocoon, making him appear like a worm as he lay sprawled across the dirty ground.

The metal shone with a dusty hue of orange and red, reminding Zephyr of the sunrise.

_First Light._

Zephyr gulped as he recognised the weapon, then slowly turned his head in the direction of its wielder. Zephyr recoiled in horror and his mouth opened slightly as he uttered the name of the one before him; his breath a terrified, airy whisper.

'Kitsune.'

The Fox Faunus looked upon her captured prey in triumph and satisfaction, completely ignoring Zephyr as she approached the trapped teen. Zephyr looked at Arden, whose expression was one of surrender, completely accepting the dreadful fate that awaited him. Arden met Zephyr's gaze, and gave a soft smile. His mouth moved, and Zephyr heard his words.

'Run.'

Zephyr hesitated, going to make a witty quip to Arden's display of self sacrifice. However, a movement occurred in the shrub behind Kitsune, and out of it emerged Elaine, whose fangs were bared and eyes blazing in anticipation of the end of the hunt.

Arden gave a light chuckle despite his position on the ground as he watched Zephyr unfurl his wings and began to fly through the forest. Using his Semblance to carry his wings underneath to perform otherwise impossible manoeuvres.

Elaine gave chase, utilising her natural strength and agility to follow. Arden hoped the best for the Hawk Faunus, the closest thing that he had to a friend at Beacon.

Arden tensed as Kitsune put her foot to his side and pushed, roughly turning him around. Arden gulped as his eyes laid upon the terrifying presence of Kitsune. Kitsune smirked as she placed one foot on his chest and looked down upon him.

'Caught you.' She said, unable to resist making their status as captor and captive more apparent. Though Arden tried to keep his expression neutral, as it normally is, he was failing badly, and it appeared shaky more than anything else, only causing Kitsune's smirk to become more pronounced.

_What did I do to deserve this?_ He wondered as he could hear Zephyr's horrified screaming from the west. Arden sighed internally, who knew that five days would cause him more problems than anything else?

Thinking back, he realised that this entire situation was mostly Zephyr's fault. The Hawk Faunus had made a few to many inuendoes the moment that he and Kitsune returned to Beacon. Kitsune eventually got fed up and Elaine, who was still angered about being tied to a chair, decided that they should have a competition.

A prank war of sorts.

Arden got dragged into it as an afterthought, Zephyr stating that it wouldn't be fair if he was on his own. The only rule to this war was that none of the pranks were allowed to kill, everything else was fine. Zephyr also decided to make the competition more interesting, saying that the losers have to perform one task for each winner. The girls agreed, and Arden was dragged off by Zephyr to organise a plan.

The next few days were hell.

Arden shuddered as he thought of the various and horrific pranks pulled by the girls, the worst being that they replaced all the stuffing in his pillow stash with bricks. What type of monster does that?! He and Zephyr did not have as much luck as they did. Kitsune was the team leader for a reason. She was smart and tactical and always saw through their ploys.

Though Arden and Zephyr did manage to pull of a single prank on them, which Arden regretted as it resulted in his current position.

He glanced up at Kitsune, who had removed her foot and staring at the approaching figure of Elaine (who was carrying something resembling Zephyr) and noted the large amount of syrup staining her hair. _Perhaps throwing those buckets on them during the combat training session was not the best idea_. Arden thought. _Still..._ He shifted his head and glanced at Zephyr, who had a smug grin on his face despite being unconscious. _I guess it was worth it. _

Arden looked up at the sky. He could hear Elaine and Kitsune discussing what they should make the guys do.

None of it sounded appealing.

_You know...if this were a fairy tale. This is about the time where a Knight comes and saves the damsel in distress._ He mused.

It wasn't exactly a Knight, but what popped out of the bushes and tackled Kitsune to the ground did prevent the girls from their discussion. It also loosened the rope binding Arden and gave him time to wriggle free. Thankful to be free, Arden was about to run off, but was tackled by the same thing that had tackled Kitsune only a few moments ago. Dazed, Arden recovered and came face to face with someone all to familiar.

A Cat Faunus girl with an obnoxious grin on her face who was currently sitting on him. 'Hi Mr. Arden!'

'Amelia?' Arden would've rubbed his eyes if his glasses weren't in the way. Arden glanced over at Kitsune, who was just as surprised and confused at the young girls arrival as he was. Arden was going to ask Amelia why she was here, but another figure burst out of the bushes, and everyone's attention was on the new arrival.

It was an older looking gentleman, a butler judging by his attire, with greying hair and a bit of stubble in his face. 'Miss Amelia!' The butler exclaimed as he brushed himself off. 'Your mother told you to remain by my side at all times.'

'But Uncle Ray-'

'No buts.' The man identified as Ray said sternly, interrupting Amelia. 'You know how worried your mother and father are for your safety. It matters not that we are no longer in Notus, every corner of the world has it's own dangers and it is my duty to protect you from such things.'

'I know that Uncle Ray, but this time is different!' Amelia exclaimed excitedly as she hopped off Arden and ran towards Kitsune. Amelia grabbed Kitsune by the hand and with great effort led her to Arden, who was getting up, and grabbed his hand with her free one. 'Mr. Arden and Ms. Kitsune are my friends.' She said with a large grin.

Arden and Kitsune looked at the Faunus girl that stood between them and couldn't help but let a small smile play on their faces at the girls innocent nature.

Ray examined the two for a moment. 'I see, so you are the ones the young miss keeps speaking about.'

Arden and Kitsune looked at Ray. 'She talks about us?' Kitsune asked.

'Yup!' Amelia answered.

'Indeed.' Said Ray. 'For the past few days she has done little but regale the staff with tales of you two. It seems you have left quite an impression on her.'

'Staff?' Elaine questioned, still keeping a firm grip on Zephyr's collar.

'Indeed, miss?'

'Elaine. The one on the ground here is Zephyr.' She said, introducing herself and displaying Zephyr to Ray.

If Ray was confused as to why Zephyr looked so beat up, he didn't show it and continued. 'Well it is a pleasure to meet you. I apologise for the late introduction. I am Raymond Frostbite, Head Butler and servant of the Lyre family. However, I believe we will have plenty of time to become acquainted with one another in the coming months. I pray that we have a cordial and beneficial relationship.'

Elaine and Kitsune both shared the same confused expression while Arden tilted his head to the side to indicate the same. Zephyr, who had regained conciousness, said what was on everyone's minds. 'What are you talking about?'

Raymond gave a light hearted chuckle. 'I believe your answer will come to you in 3...2...1..'

As Raymond stopped, Kitsune's scroll started beeping and she quickly took it out of her pocket. Opening it, she was surprised.

'What's it say?' Asked Elaine.

'It's from Headmaster Ozpin.' Kitsune started. 'He want's to see us in his office. Now.'

Raymond chuckled once more. 'Well, we best not keep him waiting.' Raymond looked at Amelia. 'Ms. Amelia, would you like to accompany us?'

'Yup!' Amelia replied and started walking, dragging Arden and Kitsune alongside her as she followed Raymond. Zephyr and Elaine followed after.

'By the way.' Zephyr asked Elaine as he made sure the two of them were out of earshot. 'You did get a photo of that right?'

Elaine said nothing, but a small smile played on her lips as she withdrew her scroll and showed it to Zephyr. Zephyr smiled as he saw the photo of Amelia holding hands with Kitsune and Arden while the two of them were smiling.

It was quite a cute photo.

Zephyr and Elaine shared a knowing look.

_We are so teasing Kitsune about this later._

* * *

Kitsune glanced at Arden as the walked down the hall leading to the Headmaster's office. The spectacled teen was simply nodding as Amelia was speaking about something, and Kitsune was certain that he wasn't listening. Kitsune then turned her attention to Raymond, who was walking close by Amelia and conversing with Zephyr. Elaine was walking alongside Kitsune and musing to herself as to what she should make Zephyr and Arden do for her. Kitsune left Elaine to her thoughts, disturbing as they were, because Kitsune had already decided what she was going to do.

Get Arden to answer the questions that she had, and get Zephyr to return Arden's journal to him.

Kitsune fiddled with the journal that was in her pocket. She had yet to return it to Arden, a combination of embarrassment for hitting him when he was injured and Zephyr's teasing. The competition also made it worse, but it did provide her with an opportunity to give the journal to Arden without having to apologise to him. Her opinion of Arden may have changed, but that change was slight, and her pride would never allow her to apologise to a human.

The group stopped just outside the Headmasters office. Raymond opened the door and ushered them inside. Kitsune couldn't help but wonder about the strange butler. He looked about forty, his short crop of grey hair and stubble made him appear very little like the neat and tidy butlers that she had read of as a child. What made him interesting was that he was a human, serving under a Faunus, yet seemed content with that. He also seemed quite close to Amelia, given her fondness of him.

Kitsune snapped out of her thoughts as she entered the room. She could hear Raymond shut the door behind her, but her attention was solely focused upon the two figures before her. One was Headmaster Ozpin, and the other was a Cat Faunus who was currently holding Amelia in his arms.

_Her father._ Kitsune recognised the man, but he appeared much different than from what she remembered. He was wearing an officers uniform and several medal were pinned on the blazer. His hair was dark and his face was soft, but Kitsune could practically feel the authority that emanated from the man.

'Ah, you're finally here.' Ozpin said as he took a sip of his signature cofee mug. 'Please, have a seat.'

Team KAZE did as asked. When they were all seated, Ozpin spoke once more. 'I take it you are all wondering why I called you here?' He said, ignoring the haggard appearance of the teens.

The teens nodded and Ozpin continued. 'Tell me, have any of you heard of a place called Notus?'

_Notus._ Arden thought. _The Land of the Night Flower._ But he wouldn't tell anyone how he knew that. Too much effort involved.

'Notice?' questioned Elaine.

Ozpin chuckled. 'No Ms. Rovra, NOTUS. With a 'U' and 'S' at the end. It's a small country located east of Vale. It's an independent power, not located on most maps.'

'Why is that?' Asked Kitsune, confused as to how that was even possible.

'Because until recently, Notus was run as a monarchy that isolated itself from the world.' Ozpin answered. 'Any attempts at finding more about the country have had...less than favourable results and it was deemed by the various governments that it would be safer for all if it was left alone.'

'Damn.' Zephyr started. 'That's crazy.'

'Indeed.'

'Wait.' Interjected Elaine. 'If that's true, then how come we know the name?'

'Because a change occurred fifty years ago. I won't bore you with the details, but it resulted in Notus opening its borders only recently, twenty years ago to be exact.'

'Okay. So what exactly has that got to do with us?' Asked Zephyr.

'That would be my doing.' Answered Amelia's father. 'I asked Headmaster Ozpin to set up a meeting between us.'

Ozpin sipped his mug. 'Yes. I suppose some introductions are in order. Ms. Veritas, Mr. Cross, Mr. Rush and Ms. Rovra, I would like to introduce to you Sir Marcus Lyre. He was the one who wished to meet with you all today.'

'It's a pleasure to meet you.' Marcus looked over at Arden and Kitsune. 'Again.'

Kitsune nodded. Arden was motionless, having lost track of the conversation and fallen asleep, but Marcus didn't mind or notice. 'So. Why did you wish to meet us?' Kitsune asked.

Marcus expression was serious as he spoke. 'Because I have a request to make of you all.' He started, his tone causing the concious teens to listen closely.

'I want you all to transfer to the Combat School in Notus.'

* * *

Arden was confused the moment he awoke from his nap. The atmosphere in the Headmasters office was tense and a deafening silence filled the room.

_What happened?_ He wondered.

'You...want us to leave Beacon...' Kitsune said, causing Arden's jaw to almost drop.

_WHAT?!_

'I know it's a lot to ask of you.' Arden looked at Amelia's father. 'But before you give your answer, will you hear me out?'

All hesitantly nodded.

'Thank you.' He said, grateful they would give him a chance. 'As the Headmaster mentioned before, Notus did not open its borders until twenty years ago. This is because the fifty years ago, the Head of the royal family abolished the monarchy in favour of a democratic system of government.'

'Why would they do that?' Asked Zephyr.

Marcus shook his head. 'I am uncertain, but since then the country has undergone dramatic changes, one of which was the opening of the borders.' Marcus eyes went sharp. 'Another...was the abolishment of forced manual labour.'

_Slavery_. The thought caused Arden to frown. On the list of things that he didn't want in his ideal world, slavery was one of them.

Marcus continued. 'A large portion of slaves came from poor backgrounds. Most of those were Faunus.' Arden could practically feel the anger emanating from his three Faunus team mates. 'One of the final things the Head of the Royal Family did before disintegrating the government, was abolish slave labour. This did wonders for the relations between Faunus and Humans, but tensions between the two groups still abound.'

'I can imagine.' Kitsune spat, anger present in her voice.

'Yes. Though the government has taken steps to resolve this tension, it is mostly just putting a band-aid on a broken arm. Completely useless. It was why my division was formed.'

'Division?' Asked Zephyr.

'Yes. I am the Head of a peace keeping task force instituted by the government whose soul purpose is to improve Human and Faunus relations. Though we have had some success, there is much that needs to be done.'

'Makes sense.' Zephyr remarked. 'But what exactly does this have to do with us leaving Beacon.'

'I was just getting to that. Though we may have had successes on the country as a whole, most of our efforts fail abysmally in regards to the Academy.'

'Why is that?' Kitsune asked, calming down slightly. Though Arden shifted his seat a bit further away, just in case.

'Hunters and Huntresses are held in particularly high regard in Notus, and a majority of Hunters are human. With the tension between the Humans and Faunus, it isn't surprising that Faunus discrimination is still high within the Academy walls.'

'I still don't see why we have to leave Beacon.' Zephyr interjected. 'If Faunus discrimination is such a big thing there, then why the hell would we want to GO there?' Arden looked at Zephyr. Hearing the usually cheery voice of the Hawk Faunus tremble with apprehension surprised all. Elaine placed her hand over Zephyr's, concern lining her face. Zephyr calmed and shot Elaine a grateful look.

Marcus allowed Zephyr to calm down a bit further before answering. 'I'm sorry. But know that I do not ask this of you lightly. I have tried many different ways to end the discrimination, but all have failed. It is one of the reasons I came to Vale, to find something that could help.'

Marcus looked at Arden and Kitsune and smiled. 'Then I came across you two.'

Arden and Kitsune looked at each other before looking at Marcus in confusion. 'What have we got to do with this?' Kitsune asked.

Marcus kept that same smile. 'Having a Faunus and Human on such good terms is rare, and I believe that if the students in the academy could see this, then they will benefit greatly from your example.'

Three things occurred in that moment.

Kitsune looked at him dumbly.

Elaine shook her head.

Zephyr burst out in laughter.

* * *

The three adults in the room looked at the teens in confusion. 'Did I say something wrong?' Marcus inquired.

Zephyr's laughter calmed down to stifled giggles. 'Sort of, but never mind that. Why do you think those two have such a good relationship?'

'From my daughter of course.' Marcus replied. 'She told me that those two were currently in a couples relationship.' Zephyr burst out in laughter once more. 'Have I been misinformed?'

'Yes.' Answered Kitsune, who began to grow red in embarrassment and annoyance at the Cat Faunus girl. 'You have been GREATLY misinformed.' Kitsune noticed Arden slowly shifting his chair as far away from Kitsune as possible. 'What exactly are YOU doing?'

Rather than respond, Arden made a serious of odd movements with his arms. The group looked at him in confusion. Thankfully, Zephyr had recovered and interpreted the gesture for everyone. 'He's saying that he wants to create a safe distance between the two of you just in case you decide to hurt him.'

The group then looked at Zephyr in confusion. Zephyr shrugged. 'It's part of a code we formed so we don't have to speak so often.'

'That's quite remarkable.' said Raymond, obviously impressed.

'Thanks.' Zephyr looked over at Kitsune, who was glaring at Arden, and couldn't resist commenting. 'You know Kitsune, you shouldn't be undressing Arden with your eyes, it is quite improper of you.'

Kitsune blushed and scowled at the Hawk Faunus and was satisfied when Elaine hit him over the head. 'Quiet you pervert!'

Zephyr looked at Elaine and saw how annoyed she was and immediately got off the seat and hid behind Arden, using him as a barrier between the two. Arden looked at him and frowned, understanding what Zephyr was doing.

The Hawk Faunus gave a light chuckle as he saw the teens face. 'Thank you for your sacrifice.'

Arden simply shook his head and shrugged, while Elaine tried to attack Zephyr. Kitsune, annoyed with the display, spoke up. 'Will you three control yourselves! Need I remind you that we are currently in the Headmasters office?'

Elaine and Zephyr stopped and gave Kitsune a sheepish grin and returned to their seats. Arden did the same and still kept his seat at what he believed was a safe distance. Kitsune glared at him once more, but stopped when she heard the sound of laughter coming from Marcus.

'I want you four even more now.' He said. 'No, it cannot be anyone but you four. Please, can you lend me your aid?'

The teens looked at each other, and Arden wondered what could be going on in the heads of his Faunus Team mates. Marcus was asking a lot of them, getting them to go to an academy where the Head of a peace keeping task force has had to get involved.

'You do know we're only teenagers. How exactly do think we can do anything?' Zephyr asked.

'You may be teenagers, but you are also individuals that got accepted into Beacon. If anyone has the potential to do anything, then it's you.' Marcus pat Amelia on the head. 'I hope one day that my daughter can grow up in a world without racism. To achieve that end, I am not above asking for help when I need it. Even if that help requires a lot of another.'

The teens looked at each other once more, uncertain of what to do. Arden could understand. The sincerity in his voice could cause any to stumble, and the fact that he was a Faunus also gave his words more weight to them.

'Kitsune?' Elaine asked. 'What do you think we should do?'

Kitsune looked at her friend. 'Why?'

Zephyr answered for her. 'Because you're our leader, whatever you decide, we will follow.'

Kitsune frowned. They just put more pressure on her decision. _Damnit! What do I do?! _

Kitsune felt a hand on her shoulder. When she saw whose it was, she was surprised to find that it was Arden's, who was standing beside her. She looked at Arden's face which had a soft, comforting smile.

Kitsune found his presence oddly soothing. While everybody else was expecting something of her right now, he was not, and that knowledge gave her the ability to get her thoughts in order.

Kitsune took a deep breath, looked Marcus in the eye, and spoke.

* * *

'I immediately regret this decision.'

Kitsune really did as she looked upon the transport they were to take to Notus. _A boat. It just had to be a boat. _

Kitsune wasn't afraid of many things, but on her list of things she did fear, boats were among them.

For one reason and one reason alone.

She couldn't swim.


	7. Nearing Notus or Problem in Parish

'I'm bored.'

Marcus chuckled at his daughter as she lay across the couch in his office, her head hanging upside down off the edge.

'If you're really that bored you could help me with these papers.' He offered, raising his head from the documents on his desk and giving a small smile.

Amelia frowned. 'No thanks.' she deadpanned, causing Marcus to chuckle once more.

_So much like her mother._ Marcus looked at the clock in front of him and noticed the time. 'Well, if you want something to do, you could gather Kitsune and the others for me. I have to talk to them before we dock at Parish.'

Amelia beamed at the prospect. Her mothers lessons and Uncle Ray's tutoring had prevented her from spending as much time with the former Beacon students than she would've liked. 'Okay!' She exclaimed energetically as she jumped off the couch and headed for the door.

'Wait.' Marcus said, stopping his overly excited daughter. 'Do you know where they are?'

Amelia nodded. 'Yup! Ms. Kitsune has been in the library since the beginning of the trip. Mr. Arden is always sleeping on the deck. Ms. Elaine is also on the deck exercising. And Mr. Zephyr is still in the infirmary.'

'Okay.' Marcus paused. 'How exactly do you know that? You haven't been-'

'Bye Dad!' Amelia interrupted as she quickly opened the door and ran down the hall, towards the deck.

Marcus shook his head at his daughters antics and smiled. _So she had been sneaking out of classes_. He thought in amusement as he returned to his work.

* * *

Arden found that sailing provided an unusual sleeping experience.

The gentle lapping of the waves against the hull caused a smooth, rocking motion that turned the ship into a giant cradle. The cloudless sky was like a vacuum that sucked away everything within it's reach, making keeping track of time and thought a failed pursuit. The midday sun shone down and covered his body like a blanket, and the salty sea air was not at all unpleasant to the senses.

Arden had no words to describe the bliss he felt as he lay down on the sun chair. The spot was absolutely perfect, and he had spent the past five days leisurely laying about there, leaving only to eat, shower, and use the bathroom. He had even opted to sleep there instead of using the room provided, utilising it as storage for his clothes and weapon. Arden let out content sigh as he stretched his arms and legs.

He had spent about seven hours (today) just laying about and had no intention of changing his plans.

'WAKEY! WAKEY! MR. ARDEN!'

But apparently Amelia did.

Arden reluctantly sat up on the sun chair and looked down at the Cat Faunus girl, who had an obnoxious grin on her face, completely understanding that she had disturbed his naptime. 'Daddy wants to see you and the others in his office.' She said.

Arden cocked his head to the side in confusion, but otherwise nodded and begrudgingly got off the chair. Stretching once more, he hadn't even taken a single step forward before Amelia grabbed his hand and began to lead him around. Arden raised a brow at the girl but otherwise shrugged. _Looks like I'm joining her, I guess._

The two walked in silence, but Amelia didn't mind. She had learnt that Arden didn't talk much, but if she brought anything to him or was really excited about something then he would join in and speak. Besides, she was content with just being around her new friend.

Arden continued to be led as Amelia brought them to the other side of the deck where Elaine was currently training. Arden gulped as he saw the Lioness Faunus demonstrating her fierce martial arts skills in a heated shadow boxing session. It felt like the air around her was trembling in fear as her arms and legs moved in natural, powerful movements that came to an abrupt end as she threw one final jab.

_...I should really not piss her off..again_. He thought as Amelia made her way towards Elaine with Arden in tow. Elaine was wiping the sweat off her face with her towel when she noticed the two approach. Elaine raised a brow at Arden, but her expression softened when she saw Aemlia.

'Hi Ms. Elaine!' The Cat Faunus said in her usual cheery voice.

Elaine grinned. 'Hey Amelia. You sneaking away from Raymond again?' She asked cheekily.

Amelia stuck out her tongue. 'I don't always come here just because I'm hiding from Uncle Ray!'

Elaine rolled her eyes. 'Sure you don't.'

'I don't!' Amelia huffed, her cheeks getting red,

Elaine laughed. 'I know, just messing with you. What brings you here?'

Amelia returned to normal and grinned. 'Dad. He said he wants to see you and the others in his office.'

'Hmm, sure. Do you want me to go get Zephyr?' Elaine asked.

Amelia thought for a moment and then nodded. 'Yeah...I don't wanna go to the infirmary, it smells funny.'

Elaine chuckled and Arden gave a small grin at the sight of the Faunus girl's face, scrunched in disgust as she recalled the smell of antiseptic and vomit. 'Okay! I'm going to go to the library now! See you soon Ms. Elaine!' Amelia said as she began to walk off, dragging Arden with her.

Elaine glanced at the pair. She found it odd at how attached Amelia had become to Arden. Was there something that appealing about him? Zephyr had also gotten along much better with the spectacled teen since a couple weeks back and Kitsune wasn't as harsh as she usually was around him.

Elaine shrugged. _Oh well, no use thinking about it now._ The Lioness Faunus put her towel around her neck, picked up her water bottle and headed towards the infirmary.

* * *

Kitsune enjoyed the solitude provided by the ships library.

It was neat, quiet, and most importantly; as far from the water as possible.

'Would you like something to drink?'

Kitsune looked at the woman seated next to her and smiled. 'No thanks Mrs. Lyre.' She said, shaking her head.

Mrs. Lyre frowned. 'I already told you, call me Fayleen.'

'Sorry. I'm just not used to addressing adults by their first names.' Kitsune admitted.

Fayleen thought for a moment before accepting Kitsune's answer. 'That's fair. Just remember next time, okay?' Kitsune nodded and returned to her reading as Fayleen stood up from her seat and made her way to the small kitchen area to make some tea. Kitsune glanced at the Faunus woman.

It was easy to tell that she was Amelia's mother. Fayleen had long dark hair, blue eyes, and a pair of cat ears atop her head, making her appear like an older, mature version of Amelia. Kitsune found Fayleen...odd, to say the least. At times she was as serious and mature as she looks, other times she was as childish as her daughter. All in all, Kitsnue would have never suspected that she was once a high ranking officer of the Notus Military until Raymond mentioned it.

_'Don't tell her I told you this. Off the record, Miss Fayleen is the single most terrifying woman I have ever come across. During her time in the military, her superiors actually had to form an elite squadron to PREVENT her from killing enemies...it didn't work out too well.'_

Kitsune returned to her reading as Fayleen finished making her tea and made her way back to the seat beside the Fox Faunus girl.

Sitting down, Fayleen took a sip from the cup and was silent as she waited for Kitsune to finish reading. She had found the Fox Faunus to be quite pleasant company, even if most of her time was spent hitting the books.

_If only Amelia was this dedicated._ She thought, sighing internally. It was at that moment that the door to the library opened, and in strode her daughter and her human companion. Fayleen smiled as her cute little girl left Arden's side and ran up to her and immediately gave her a hug (though it was quite awkward given the fact Fayleen had not gotten out of her chair).

'Hey Sweetie.' Fayleen said as her daughter looked up at her without releasing her grip. 'What brings you here?

Amelia grinned. 'Hi Mom! Not much, I'm just running an errand for dad.'

Fayleen raised a brow. 'What sort of errand?'

'Dad wanted me to tell Ms. Kitsune and her friends that he would like to see them in his office now.'

Kitsune frowned unintentionally, and this did not go unnoticed by the others present in the room. 'Is something wrong Kitsune?' Fayleen asked.

Kitsune realised what she had done and quickly tried to come up with an excuse. 'Just wish I could finish this book, it's quite an interesting read.' It wasn't. She just really did not want to have to leave the safety of the library considering the only way to get to the office was through the deck.

The others looked at Kitsune sceptically, but otherwise shrugged it off. 'I see.' Fayleen started. 'At any rate, I think it would be a good idea for the two of you to go see Marcus. He probably wants to go over a few things with you before we dock.'

Kitsune and Arden nodded. As the Fox Faunus returned the book to its place on on a shelf close by, Arden had already walked out the door. Amelia was going to join him, but Fayleen wrapped her arms around the girl, trapping her. 'Not you sweetie. You need to take a bath.'

Amelia adorned an expression of horror, and looked at Kitsune, who had yet to leave, with pleading eyes. Kitsune saw this and simply waved as she left the room.

Amelia pouted. 'Ms. Kitsune you traitor!'

* * *

'...Zephyr.'

'Yes.'

'Could you explain something to me?'

'Certainly.'

Elaine rolled her eyes as she supported Zephyr, draping one of his arms over her shoulder as they carefully headed down the hall towards Marcus' Office. 'How the hell do you have motion sickness?'

Zephyr was indignant. 'Oi! It's much more common than it sounds!'

Elaine groaned. 'That's not what I meant. I mean how the hell do **you** of all people have it? You freaking **FLY** at like, 150mph or something and you turn out completely fine!'

Zephyr frowned. 'Because flying to me is just as natural as walking. I don't know anybody who gets motion sickness from just walking around.'

Elaine hummed thoughtfully. 'Makes sense.' She mused as they reached the office door and entered, greeted by the sight of Marcus as he sat at his desk.

'Welcome.' Marcus greeted, before raising a brow at the sight of a sickly looking Zephyr. 'Still feeling unwell?'

The Hawk Faunus simply groaned. 'If you want, you could pass me that bin over there and find out.' He half-joked.

Marcus chuckled. 'Well, at least your wit didn't leave with your lunch.'

Zephyr thought it was funny, but understood that if he tried to laugh, something else would come out of his mouth, and wisely chose to remain silent. Elaine made her way over to the couch and gently set Zephyr down on it.

'Where are the other two?' Elaine asked, taking a seat beside Zephyr, ensuring she wasn't to close just in case he threw up.

'We're here.'

'Ah hey Kitsu-.' Elaine stopped talking and simply stared at the two arrivals. She wasn't the only one either. Marcus had raised a brow and had a small grin which did little to hide how confused he was, and Zephyr expression had gone from sickly to a mixture of amusement and confusion.

'Kitsune.' said Elaine as the Fox Faunus nonchalantly made her way to a seat at the other side of the room and sat down.

'Yes?'

Elaine pointed at the figure that Kitsune had left at the door. 'What exactly happened on the way here?'

Kitsune didn't bother turning to see what Elaine was talking about and responded. 'He fell.'

'He fell?' Elaine repeated, still confused. 'Off what? The ship?'

Kitsune nodded. 'Yes. He fell off the ship.'

The others in the room stared at Arden with dumbfounded, almost comical expressions. The dripping wet spectacled teen simply nodded.

'How...?' Was all Elaine could manage to say and Arden shrugged in response.

'Never mind that.' Kitsune said, trying to change the conversation. It wasn't that interesting. It also was NOT her fault. It wasn't as if she freaked out when the ship unintentionally jerked and wrapped her arms around him in an effort to not fall over the railing. Before realising what she was doing, freaking out, and shoving him over the edge...or anything along those lines. 'You said you wanted to see us?'

Marcus watched as Arden took a seat in the chair closest to the door, still curious at what event could have taken place, but chose to ignore it as there were more important matters to attend to. 'Yes. I just wanted to inform you that we will be docking at Parish in five hours and wanted to ask you all one final time if you're certain you want to go through with this.' Marcus paused. 'It isn't too late. I can-'

'I'm not leaving.'

Marcus couldn't help but smile at Kitsune's interruption. The firm tone of finality and conviction in her voice reminded him of his wife, and he knew that there was nothing that could dissuade the Fox Faunus.

'If Kitsune's staying then so am I.' Elaine declared proudly with a large grin that threatened to fall off her face.

Zephyr groaned as he shifted in his seat. 'I'm in, and not just because I wouldn't survive the return trip.'

Marcus and Kitsune chuckled and the latter shot them a grateful look. Marcus was impressed with the loyalty expressed between the three Faunus teens.

Marcus then looked at Arden. 'And you Mr. Cross?'

Everyone turned their attention to the spectacled teen. Kitsune was curious. Unlike Elaine or Zephyr, it wasn't as if she had done anything to inspire loyalty within Arden. They weren't exactly on the best terms, so it was honestly surprising to her that he had opted to accompany them this far. Likewise, Marcus was also curious, but his curiosity stemmed from another source.

The night that he and his wife had been captured, Marcus remembered being tied in a warehouse surrounded by ten men. His wife was unconscious, and he himself was sporting a few bruises on his face and body. He recalled little of what they said or of what occurred that night. He remembers the lights suddenly turning off, surprised gasps coming from his confused captors and then...

...nothing. He could recall nothing after the lights were turned off. The next thing he knows, he is awoken by the spectacled teen just outside the warehouse. After learning his name was Arden, he had been informed by the spectacled teen that he had found him and his wife laying unconscious on the ground. Marcus had been suspicious, but realising that he was the same human that had been with Amelia earlier that day, and him mentioning his daughter by name, dispelled those suspicions. Arden claimed he had no knowledge of how the couple ended up there, or what happened to the kidnappers, and Marcus didn't care. He was thankful to be free and was to worried about his daughter to fret over such things.

However, once he was reunited with his daughter and his family was safe and they returned to their lodgings without incident, he realised that much of what Arden told him was too coincidental. Happening to come across them in such a secluded area of Vale with the kidnappers oddly absent made no sense. So he believed that the spectacled teen was hiding something, though he was uncertain as to what that was.

Everyone's curiosity only grew as Arden remained silent. The atmosphere was tense for reasons unknown to all, and as the room fell as silent as the teen, the Faunus heard something.

It was light snoring.

The Faunus all exchanged looks.

'Is he?' Asked Elaine.

'I think so...' Zephyr replied.

'How...?' Was all Kitsune could manage.

'I don't know.' Zephyr replied once more.

The Faunus exchanged looks once more, then Marcus burst into laughter. 'You truly have an odd friend.' Was all he could manage to say.

Zephyr nodded in agreement, and though the two girls did not consider Arden to be a friend as such, they could definitely agree that he was odd. Recovering, Marcus was going to speak on another thing when the door to his office slammed open, waking Arden and startling the occupants.

'Raymond?' Marcus was confused by the sudden appearance of the Butler, whose expression indicated great stress. 'What's wrong?'

Raymond caught his breath and met Marcus gaze. 'Sir. Parish has been captured.'

* * *

'Captured?!'

Marcus exclamation at Raymond's words caused the atmosphere in the room to take a turn.

'Yes.' Raymond replied grimly.

Marcus scowled. 'Is it them?'

Raymond shook his head. 'No. It appears to be a different group. Though they are no less dangerous.'

Marcus muttered something under his breath as he tried to think of something.

'Excuse me?' Kitsune said, interrupting the two. 'What exactly is going on?'

Marcus snapped out of his thoughts and faced the teens once more. 'I apologise, this must be confusing for you all. Do you recall how I told you that tensions between Human and Faunus abound within Notus?' The teens nodded. 'Those tensions gave birth to groups that are unsatisfied with the state of the country. Most of these groups rely heavily on peaceful protests, but some groups are more radical and take militaristic action to make themselves heard.'

Marcus brow furrowed. 'As you can no doubt guess, this is the latter.' Marcus turned to Raymond. 'How much do we know?'

Raymond shook his head. 'Very little I'm afraid, but my guess is that their numbers are superior to ours...' Raymond trailed off.

Marcus understood what Raymond was getting at. '...and though we could deal with that, there is no guarantee that the civilians would come out unharmed.'

Raymond nodded. 'Yes. If we had the numbers then it would be a different story, but I'm afraid that's not the case.'

Marcus scowled once more as he attempted to think of what could be done.

'Let us handle it.'

The two adults faced Kitsune with shocked looks. They opened their mouths to speak, but Kitsune silenced them with the dark aura she reserved for Arden (Coupled with the tricks that Fayleen had taught her in her spare time, the aura was like dealing with death itself).

Marcus and Raymond shared the same thought. _We should really make sure those two don't converse anymore_.

'Listen. You brought us here because you thought we could do something.' Kitsune explained now that she had their attention. 'So just trust us on this.'

Marcu was going to rebut, but recalled that this would be an opportune moment to find out what they were truly capable of. _Also..._Marcus glanced over at Arden, who was no doubt alert this time.

Marcus nodded at Kitsune, who smiled. 'Zephyr, Elaine.' Kitsune paused. 'And Arden.' If she could see the spectacled teens eyes, she would see how wide they were in shock. 'Go get ready for combat and meet me in the library in ten minutes.' Zephyr and Elaine nodded, and Arden did so reluctantly. As the two Faunus left, with Elaine carrying Zephyr to his room to save time, Arden headed to his room. Kitsune stayed in the office for a little while longer to go over what she had planned with Marcus and Raymond and the two adults were impressed with the girls tactical skills.

When Kitsune left to get ready, she noticed that Arden had yet to completely leave the hall and ran up to him. 'You.' She stated, rather rudely in Arden's opinion but he turned to face her none the less. 'Escort me to the library.' She demanded. Arden cocked his head to the side, but did as directed. It didn't take the two that long, as they were in a rush, and Arden left the Fox Faunus and headed to his room to pick up his weapon.

He sincerely hoped he wouldn't have to use it.


	8. The Pentagonal Powers

**From the Diary of Marcus Lyre**

_The political state of Notus has come to the point where the country has Five major influences. These influences have been dubbed as_ _'The Pentagonal Powers' by both official and unofficial sources. These powers balance each other out, but lately the more militaristic powers have begun to become more active._

_Civil War is an ever present possibility._

_I have decided that we need to find some way to prevent this from happening, and our best hope lies with changing things at Aspire Academy. I have decided to go to Vale to find something that can assist me in this endeavour and have contacted the Headmaster of my intent. He has volunteered to assist me and I am thankful for this._

_I hope I find what I'm looking for._

* * *

**Location: ? Time: ? **

* * *

He sat on a chair in the middle of a dark, empty room. No, empty wouldn't be accurate. A single light hung from the ceiling, illuminating himself and the table before him.

'Captain Roland. Report on the events that occurred during the night of the thirteenth of this month.'

Captain Roland froze at the voice that came from the other side of the table, its owner consumed by the dark. It was a distorted, smooth voice that was as cold as it was terrifying, and Captain Roland found his throat becoming dry and his speech mumbled.

'S-sir...I believe everything is written in-'

Captain Roland cried out in pain as a surge of electricity coursed through his body, and he could tell that it came from. 'Do not make me repeat myself.' The distorted voice said.

Captain Roland wisely obliged. 'It was six-thirty by the time we apprehended Marcus and Fayleen Lyre. As was planned, we incapacitated the 'Black Death' utilising the special formula provided by _Him_, which successfully rendered her unconscious. Their daughter managed to elude our grasp, and I judged it unnecessary to follow her as none were likely to believe any story that she could concoct regarding our activities.' He paused, waiting for any comment regarding that particular action. When there was none, he continued. 'As per regulation, we travelled around the city in a seemingly random pattern several times, to throw off any would be pursuers. When the designated one-hour period had passed, and there was no sign of pursuit, I directed my group to the meeting point.' He paused once more, then continued. 'We reached the meeting point by eight. As the Cleaning Crew had yet to arrive, my men and I waited for them. However, by eight-thirty...' He trailed off.

'Is something wrong Captain?'

Captain Roland was silent, and his brows began to furrow. Eventually, he closed his eyes and shook his head. 'I'm sorry Sir, but I cannot recall anything after that point.' He admitted. 'As I mentioned in the report, the next thing I remember is waking up on the ship back here.'

Silence returned to the room, and Captain Roland waited anxiously for any response.

'You may leave.'

Captain Roland gratefully nodded and quickly headed out the door. When he shut the door behind him, the shadowed figure spoke once more. 'What do you make of his report?'

The sound of footsteps could be heard as a second figure stepped into the light and stood by the seat that Captain Roland had previously been sitting in. This figure was covered in armour the deepest shade of crimson red. On its right chest, written on the plate, was an 'I' with a snake coiled around it; the insignia of the Insurgents.

'His account matches up with the reports we received from the others in group eight.' The armour figure replied, the voice rough and weary. 'My investigations have also found that neither the Royal Guard or FRAME had any involvement with the incident.'

The armoured figure paused, and this did not go unnoticed by the other occupant of the room. 'Speak your mind Roderick.'

Roderick shifted where he stood. 'I apologise. Something has been bothering me.' Roderick cleared his throat. 'When I interrogated the men of group eight, all stuck to the claim of having no knowledge of what occurred from the period of eight-thirty to ten. However...' Roderick felt uncomfortable divulging this information, but did so none the less. 'After pressing one of the members long enough, he was able to remember something, a single word, but this memory resulted in him...losing his state of mind.'

'Explain.' The tone was firm and final, but Roderick detected a slight tinge of curiosity lining the word.

'Well, Sir.' Roderick began. 'To put it bluntly, the member in question is now in a fear induced coma.' If Roderick could see in the dark like a Faunus could, he would see the brow being raised at him, but he was not, none of the Insurgents were.

The Insurgents: an all Human group dedicated to reverting Notus back to its previous monarchal state with the head of the Insurgents being crowned as Ruler. Black Market dealings and underground contracts have provided the Insurgents with military grade armour and equipment; which they are not afraid to use. Roderick, like many others who joined the Insurgents, lost vast amounts of property and wealth with the change in government, and this led to them agreeing with the ideology presented by the Insurgents.

Roderick shifted in place once more. 'He is currently in the infirmary.' Roderick continued, 'We have been unsuccessful in waking him, and on the rare occasion he regains conciousness, he screams.'

'What does he scream?'

Roderick felt a lump in his throat, like what he was about to repeat was some sacred or accursed word that should only be uttered under the most dire of circumstances. His lips parted slowly, and the word travelled clearly and resounded through the room.

'Ephialtes.'

* * *

**Location: Parish Time: 7am**

* * *

Kitsune's words came through the earpiece with no small amount of static.

_*...Zephyr...how...many...*_

It didn't take much for him to connect the dots, and Zephyr surveyed the small town of Parish from above, flying at what he believed to be an appropriate distance; close enough that he could make out details of the town, but far enough so the current occupants would mistake him for a bird.

Zephyr had been sent ahead of the group as a scout. Though they knew Parish had been taken by some unknown force, they were in the dark regarding their numbers and equipment. Unfortunately, it had taken them the remainder of yesterday to find a safe place to anchor the ship, so while everyone else was preparing, Zephyr flew ahead to see what they were dealing with.

All in all, it wasn't promising.

_*...About...twenty...*_ Zephyr responded to the group currently in the library of the Black Cat, who was experiencing the same static. _*...In...square...not...sure...about...buildings...*_ He was also going to inform her that the civilians had been corralled into the center square like cattle but instead decided to take a photo of the scene via his scroll and sent the image to Kitsune.

He then flew over to the thick forest bordering the town and perched himself on a tree quite far away. Making sure he was well concealed, Zephyr raised his hand over his head and reached down, grasping the cool metallic grip of his weapon. Withdrawing it from his back, Zephyr was once again greeted by the sight of _Baby Blue._

Zephyr's customised Bolt Action Sniper Rifle was his most treasure possession. Basing it off the design of his grandfather's _Eagle Eye_, _Baby Blue_ had a heavily inspired bird motif in its aesthetics. The barrel and body of the rifle were like long, elongated wings and the mouth of the barrel protruded out the open beak of a metal hawk. This was not just for show, the beak acted as a conductor. The bullet fired would pass through the barrel and trigger a mechanism within that would cause the beak to secrete a thin layer of dust that would bind itself to the travelling bullet and imbue it with its elemental properties. Zephyr's favourite was ice. There was just something satisfying about nailing a Beowulf in the eye and watching its head suddenly freeze and shatter into a thousand tiny pieces.

Zephyr held the Sniper Rifle in both hands, enjoying the familiar weight, before raising it and aiming the scope in the direction of Parish. His aim and breathing steady, he slowly brought the sight over the various beige concrete buildings until he found what he was looking for; one of the soldiers occupying Parish. Moving the sight a few more times and seeing a few more people, Zephyr lowered the rifle and got out his scroll and began to type what he found.

'Not prime military force. Ragtag group with guns. Guns are T390 Semi Automatic Rifles, older models, prone to jamming and poor ammo capacity. Appears that some are holding explosives; caution advised. Mixture of Faunus and Humans. Poorly protected, only cloth, no armour. Set up barriers and nests on roofs, no long range weaponry but numbers ensure a hailstorm of bullets. Civilians safe for now, but men look twitchy, should be careful in approach.' Zephyr paused, wondering if he was forgetting anything. Certain there was nothing, Zephyr wrote one last thing before sending the message. 'That is all.'

A few minutes passed before Zephyr received a reply.

_'Okay. Wait there and continue to observe. I have a plan, but I need you to inform me if the situation changes in any way. Good Luck.'_

Zephyr smiled and put his scroll away not bothering to reply. He would have plenty of time to chat with them later, right now, he had to do his part to ensure his friends didn't lose their lives.

* * *

**Location: Nocturne Time: 9am**

* * *

The palace sat at the top of a mountain, its imposing figure staring down at the capital against a backdrop of bright blue sky. Within its massive chambers and winding halls lives the members of the Notus Royal Family.

Though they hold no true authority, the Royal Family still holds vast influence over the country. Humans who romanticise the lifestyle and are enamoured with the beauty and prestige of its members. Faunus who hold a great deal of respect for the previous Head that set them free from slavery, and for the current Head who embodies the noble principles of their predecessor. The Notus Royal Family is the only one of the Pentagonal Powers that has interactions with FRAME, The Royal Guard, and The Diaspora while refusing any relation with the Insurgents.

This was why, in the spacious and elaborately decorated throne room, the current head of the royal family was met with an amusing look of understanding and indignation from his little sister.

'Your majesty.' She said through a strained, forced smile, much to the Heads amusement. 'Shouldn't a task such as this be left to one more fitting then I?'

The Head gave a melodramatic sigh which only fuelled his sisters frustrations. 'I apologise my dear little sister, for having to impart such an arduous task upon you. For that I am truly sorry.' He wasn't. 'But alas, time is fleeting and I have many important matters to attend to.' He didn't. 'Do not fret, for I promise that I shall reward you for your valiant efforts.' He wouldn't. 'So what say you? My darling sister Misha? Will you aid your king, nay, your brother in his hour of need?'

Misha rolled her eyes at her older brothers over-dramatic gestures (though she did so internally out of respect for his position).She then shot a smile and deadpanned. 'No.'

The Head sighed once more and gave a mock expression of resignation. He then turned his head toward the stoic and silent retainer that always accompanied him. 'Do you see what I must put up with Charlemagne?'

No response.

'Ah yes I knew you would.'

No response.

'Hahahaha! Oh Charlemagne you certainly are a lark! No wonder I keep you around!'

Misha frowned. Though she knew her older brother was seen as a great figure by the populace, and for good reason, she expected that many who saw this odd individual currently having a one sided conversation with himself was far from what they envisioned the Head of the Royal Family to be.

'Ahem!' Misha cleared her throat, gaining her brothers attention. 'If that is all, Your Highness, then I shall-'

'Misha.' Her brother interrupted, his tone indicating that he was serious. 'I wish to be civil about this. Despite the issues you have with FRAME, you cannot deny that they have an overwhelmingly positive effect on the population.' Misha opened her mouth to refute, but her brothers glare silenced her. **'As a whole.'** He finished.

FRAME. Not one of the five Pentagonal Powers, but instead the name of the organisation run by Marcus Lyre, using the authority of the Diaspora; the name of the new government and one of the Pentagonal Powers. Despite the fact that the change was recent, the new government holds the only true OFFICIAL authority regarding matters of state. However, they are struggling. The militaristic powers become more violent day by day, and the Diaspora can only deal with so much at once. This was why organisations such as FRAME were created, to help lighten the load. FRAME, has proven the most successful out of the thirty or so organisations they have created, and as such FRAME is given a lot more freedom.

'If this country is to change for the better, then individuals like Marcus Lyre are a necessity.' Misha stayed silent. She had met Marcus Lyre a few times, and understood what her brother meant. Hell, he had married Fayleen, THE Fayleen, the one known across the country as 'The Black Death' and she was like a kitten with him around, pun intended.

'As such we must do what we are able to ensure his safety.' Her brother grinned and Misha knew what he was getting at. 'And who better to protect him then the best Huntress at Aspire?'

Misha couldn't help but let a small smile slip at her brothers genuine compliment. 'Huntress-in-Training.' She corrected. 'And I'm not the best.'

Her brother raised a brow and gave an impish grin. 'You're talking about Vincent right?' Misha nodded. 'Well, I was planning to send you in a group of your choosing, perhaps you could ask him?' He suppressed a chuckle as he saw his sister turn cherry red. He knew she had taken a liking to the young man, being the youngest in the history of Notus to enter the ranks of the Royal Guard did have its perks. Considering he didn't mind Vincent all that much, he was completely fine with Misha's interest in him.

Misha nodded, a bit more pleased at this development. 'Well then, Your Highness, I shall set out at once.'

With that, Misha left the throne room to prepare, a small smile adorning her face.

_Now...I just have to go find Vincent._

* * *

**Location: Parish Time: 10am**

* * *

Kitsune's plan was simple.

Using her Semblance, she and Elaine would be concealed as they made their way over to the eastern side of the town, near the docks. While they did this, Arden would stay at the western edge and create a diversion. Kitsune hadn't given him any specifics, but did inform him that there appeared to be flammable and explosive materials in the area based off what she could see from Zephyr's photograph that could come in handy.

The aim was to draw as much attention as possible to cause any hiding in the buildings to come out. With the enemies attention focused on whatever chaos Arden would create, she and Elaine would then begin their approach and handle the ground forces while Zephyr would dispatch the lookouts on the roofs before joining Arden. After ensuring the civilians safety, the Faunus girls would then meet up with Arden and Zephyr and deal with the group on the west side.

If Zephyr's information was anything to go by, then those occupying the town weren't exactly highly trained soldiers, so the odds that their Aura was activated would be slim. Coupled with the fact that the Ex-Beacon students were trained to deal with beasts tougher than most men, the plan wasn't to unsound.

This was why Arden was currently hiding in the shrubs on the west side and staring intently at the large barrels of dust in a small warehouse nearby. They would create the perfect diversion, provided he could make it over there without being spotted, which wouldn't be that much trouble. However, how he would set it alight was another matter entirely. Though he had a method for setting things alight, that required him to be in contact with the object, meaning he would be caught in the explosion.

That wouldn't be good. He also couldn't just grab any random object and throw it at the barrels either. The flames would burn it to cinders to quickly. He needed something tough and large. Wood was out of the question, as was stone considering the rocks around him were to small.

Arden groaned at his present situation. Certainly what was happening was no doubt serious, and something did have to be done, but he truly had no desire to fight, or let anyone know he was actually capable of fighting at all. The way Arden saw it; if people knew he could fight, they would get him to fight or request it of him, meaning he would actually be expected to do something other than sleep, meaning he would lose precious hours of sleep, meaning life would become complicated, meaning his simple lifestyle of sleep would slowly be lost and his dream would be further out of reach. Perhaps there was something he could do to assist without being hounded later?

As that thought crossed his mind. he heard rustling from behind and turned. Though he expected to see one of the men that had occupied Parish, it was instead something much more unpleasant. Three Ursa Majors, large and bear-like in appearance, stood before him and stared him down. The beasts seemed to grin, and one opened its mouth to let out a mighty roar.

That never came as it's body was cleaved in two by _Lullaby_.

The two remaining Ursa had very little time to react or process what had just occurred as Arden released his grip on the handle and grabbed the chain that connected the Falchion to his left gauntlet and spun, allowing the chain to slip through his fingers as he did so. The blade curved upwards as it was led by the chain and cut through the neck of the furthest Ursa, decapitating it. Before the last one could make a move, Arden flicked his wrist and brought _Lullaby_ back to him as he dashed toward the final Ursa, and in one smooth movement caught the blade and pierced its skull, killing the Grimm instantly.

The forest maintained its silence throughout.

Arden removed his sword from the head of the dead Grimm and inspected his weapon.

_Lullaby._ Unlike most weapons commonly seen by the students at Beacon, _Lullaby_ was a Falchion; a one sided sword with a slight curve at the head and a sharp tip at the end that he wielded with his left hand. Also, it was simply that; a sword. Arden had opted to keep his weapon as simple as possible. Though he had made a few adjustments, such as extending the length of the blade and hilt and attaching a chain at the pommel; _Lullaby_ was but a sword. Sure it was not as complex or impressive as some of the other weapons used by Hunters and Huntresses, but Arden didn't care. It was a reliable and trusted friend, much like _Ephialtes_.

Arden's eyes widened as a thought struck him. He placed _Lullaby_ back in its sheath and quickly moved over to the severed head of the Ursa he killed but moments ago. He picked it up with his right hand, though it weighed quite a bit, it was both tough and large and exactly what he needed. Arden looked back in the direction of the warehouse. The door was still open, and Arden couldn't help but grin.

Though the 'battle' with the Grimm had tired him, another unfortunate side-effect of his Semblance, he couldn't help but grin. As he held the Ursa head in his right arm, a series of soft, mechanical whirring and clicking sounds could be heard. Arden's hand began to glow a bright red as a large amount of heat was being transferred from his hand and into the Ursa head. Suddenly, the heat became so intense that the Ursa head was set alight. He then put his arm back and threw the Ursa head directly at the barrels.

With the force of his Semblance behind the throw, the head travelled straight and true and struck the barrels. Arden grinned as he fell unconscious, seeing the resulting explosion before he blacked out. He knew he would have to have some explanation as to what happened to him, but he would cross that bridge when he came to it. It wasn't his fault that his Semblance was-

* * *

**Location: Nocturne Time: 10:15am**

* * *

'Potential. Everything in this world has potential. The smallest seed can become a mighty oak, the softest breeze a storming gale, the tiniest spark a deadly flame, the gentlest stream a raging torrent. Even the bluntest blade has the potential to cut through stone, provided someone sharpens the edge of course.' Vincent smiled at the class of thirty. 'That's how I see all of you. You all have potential, and during my break from Aspire I plan to do my best to help you reach that potential to its fullest.'

Vincent was going to say more, but was interrupted as someone entered the room. The one who entered was a female, with stunning raven hair and auburn eyes. The students began to whisper furiously amongst themselves as they wondered why Princess Misha Notus had appeared.

Unlike the students, who being between the ages of ten and fourteen had obviously become enamoured with the prospect of being a Royal, Vincent smiled and waved. 'Hey Misha. What's up?'

The students jaws dropped at the way Vincent had so casually addressed the member of the Royal family. To their surprise, the princess showed no sign of offence and even smiled back. 'Not much Vincent.' The students almost fell out of their seats when she called him by name. 'I actually came to ask something of you.'

'What is it?' He asked, much to his and the students curiosity.

Misha cleared her throat. 'I have some business in Parish and I was hoping that you would accompany me.'

The students locked their eyes on Vincent. They had forgotten that despite his easygoing and cherry demeanour, he was the youngest in history to be bestowed the title of Royal Guard.

The Royal Guard is a small group of eleven individuals who have proven themselves to be among the best Notus has to offer in terms of strength and skill. This resulted in the Royal Guard not only having a powerful reputation, but also in being the only Pentagonal Power that employs both Faunus and Humans with 'special privileges'. Those privileges being that they can get involved in civil disputes if necessary. Though this could be seen as dangerous, the process for selecting a Royal Guard prevents them from abusing their authority.

The process is better left unmentioned.

'I'm sorry.' Vincent apologised. 'I already made arrangements to teach for the next few days, so I can't come with you.' Upon seeing Misha's disheartened expression, Vincent quickly added. 'But I wouldn't mind hanging out once you get back. If that's okay with you?'

Misha blushed and restrained the urge to grin like an idiot as she nodded her head then dismissed herself from the classroom. It was only then that she allowed that stupid grin to show itself as she met with the others that were to accompany her, who asked her what had happened. Back in the classroom, Vincent's introduction had been ruined as the students, primarily the female ones, began to ask him what his relationship was with the princess.

* * *

**Location: Parish Time: 10am- 12pm**

* * *

Things were turning out really badly for the militia group occupying Parish, and it all started with that explosion.

That powerful, destructive explosion that kicked up dust and smoke and debris and sent the militia into a frenzy.

The twenty men that had been hiding in the buildings left and headed towards the source. Those on the roofs, momentarily distracted by the sound, found themselves falling like flies as they were struck by bullets that sent electric shocks through their bodies, knocking them out cold. The ground troops were unaware of what was happening, as two demons of orange and grey approached from behind and began their assault.

They panicked as their bullets seemed to pass through the slower yet foreboding phantom of orange, whose metal tails struck at and disarmed them. They were terrified of the grey blur as their bullets bounced off the monster, harmlessly falling to the ground as it struck them with heavy blows that rendered them unconscious.

Those in the center of the town were falling quickly to these demons, and wondered why none of those investigating the explosion had come by to assist. Meanwhile, those at the explosion sight were wondering the same thing as they were being shot at from seemingly out of nowhere. Undisciplined and already on edge from the explosion, they began to shoot out wildly into the smoke. The effort was vain as Zephyr continued to take them out one by one. The range of their rifles paled in comparison to his, and none of their bullets would hit him from the distance he was at. It only got worse for them when Kitsune and Elaine appeared.

The militia cringed in fear as the Fox and Lioness Faunus began to dispatch their remaining number, and either fled or gave themselves up. After the last of them had been dealt with, Kitsune, with assistance from the townspeople, bound the militia in rope and imprisoned them in a secure warehouse. After this was done, Kitsune got out her scroll, contacted Marcus, and told him Parish was safe. Marcus was impressed and informed her that he would bring in the ship and congratulated her and her team for their good work before signing off.

Kitsune then made her way over to Zephyr and Elaine. When she reached them, Zephyr cocked his head to the side and asked a question that had been on his mind for quite some time.

'Where's Arden?'

* * *

**Location: Nocturne Time: 3pm**

* * *

Misha boarded the train at Alt station. The station itself was unimportant, but the network of train's wasn't. Though Notus wasn't the largest country in Remnant, it was by no means small, and the train track ran throughout the entire country, allowing people to travel anywhere and over long distances in a shorter period of time. Though, in Misha's case, a shorter period of time meant one day instead of three.

She said nothing as she made her way through the carriages and sat down in first class alongside the only one to accompany her on this venture, as the rest had received sudden orders from the government and had been forced leave her. She glanced at the Faunus girl, who was just as quiet as Charlemagne most of the time, and recalled how she was once a member of FRAY.

Similar yet opposite to the Insurgents, FRAY is an all Faunus organisation with a militaristic nature. However, FRAY's desire is that Faunus be separated from society and given their own place to live, grow and thrive, within the borders of Notus. Playing with the notions of freedom and independence, it isn't surprising that they get a lot of support from Faunus who believe that the current government will not last and the would once again be forced into slavery.

The Faunus in front of her was one such individual, but had left FRAY for reasons known only to her and Misha knew better than to pry. Understanding that she would talk very little, Misha pulled out a book she had brought and began to read.

_This is going to be a long trip._

* * *

**Location: Parish Time: 5-8pm**

* * *

After some time searching, they had found Arden unconscious in the shrub not to far off from the explosion. They tried to wake him, but it proved useless, and instead decided that it would be best to find him a proper place to rest. It was quite easy for them to requestion a room. Having saved their lives, the townspeople were all to eager to provide their saviours with something so meagre. Marcus and Co. were also there, and busily chatting away with the Mayor of Parish as Raymond interrogated the group locked in the warehouse.

The fact that the rowdy bunch suddenly went silent left much to the imagination.

Placing the unconscious Arden on the bed, Kitsune remained in the room as Elaine and Zephyr left to see if there was anyway they could help out the distressed and grateful people of Parish. The Fox Faunus girl had no desire to be around them. Though this may seem untoward, she still had issues with humans, and most of this town was undoubtedly human. Zephyr was much more of a people person as it were, so Kitsune understood he would have no problem interacting with the townsfolk. Elaine would have accompanied him regardless. It was dangerous to leave Zephyr alone with...'impressionable' young females.

A low groan and the shifting of sheets caught her attention and Kitsune turned her attention from the window showing the scene outside to the rousing figure of Arden. Kitsune could tell he was in a daze. Even if his thick round spectacles concealed his eyes, his overall posture and body language indicated that he was still waking up. It was then that Kitsune actually got a good look at him. Arden's unkempt spiky hair, which reached just past his ears, was covered in dirt and dust, as was his face. He bore no sign of external injuries, so Kitsune believed that he must have collapsed due to exhaustion. Either that or something had knocked him out. If an appropriate amount of force had been applied...

A thought struck Kitsune as she noted how his clothing, specifically his jacket, was slightly burnt at the hems and recalled the massive explosion that had occurred earlier that day. They had found Arden not to far from what they believed to be the origin sight of the explosion. Considering how powerful that explosion was, it wouldn't be surprising if he got caught in it. The more Kitsune thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and it caused her to feel slightly guilty. She had sent Arden to create the distraction because she had no idea what he was capable of. She had never seen him fight. The thing she did know about his physical prowess was that he could run, though that wouldn't help much. With this lack of knowledge, she could only think of getting him to create the distraction as even a simpleton should be able to think of something to gain their attention. She had never expected him to cause an actual explosion! Dust! She suggested it as a joke! Kitsune considered apologising.

'Kitty?'

That notion was disregarded as soon as Arden opened his mouth. 'Look's like you're finally up.' Kitsune said, not bothering to hide her irritation at what she had just been called. The only reason she hadn't knocked him out like she did in the entrance exam was because he was still dazed.

At the same time, Arden was wondering how exactly he ended up in this small room with Kitsune. He looked blankly at the Fox Faunus girl for a second, just to make sure he wasn't imagining anything. He noted the red denim jacket, which was unbuttoned and slightly parted but nevertheless revealed the orange shirt underneath, and black jeans ensemble. _Well, it looks like Kitsune._ He the noted the familiar look of irritation and disapproval etched on her face. _Yup. That's Kitsune._

'So.' Kitsune began. 'Are you going to tell me what exactly happened earlier?'

Arden thought for a moment. Sure he could answer her question and explain what happened to him, but that explanation would take far to long.

**Potential**. If Arden could put it in simple terms, it was like a balloon. The more air placed into a balloon, the larger it gets. **Potential** works the same way, except in relation to the body or physical objects. For the body, this meant that rather than air, energy was put in, resulting in Arden gaining boosts in strength, speed, agility and reaction time. For weapons, this meant he could bring out there base properties and increase them to their utmost limit. For example; with swords, such as _Lullaby_, he can increase the sharpness of the blade to the point where it can cut through solid stone like butter. However, **Potential** is not only limited to simply increasing properties, it also decreases. Similar to how one can fill a balloon with air, one can also let air out. This means, not that he would ever do something like it, he could make himself much weaker than he was. Though this may seem negative,it does have its good sides, and is useful for when Arden wields _Lullaby_, making the Falchion weigh much less than it actually was so he could wield it with ease. Potential, is quite useful, and if Arden were anyone else he would be showing off this Semblance to any who would pay attention. Despite the fact that it was incredibly dangerous. Because what happens to a balloon once it is filled with too much air?

It pops.

Imagine the implications that would mean for the body. If used misguidedly, it could potentially destroy the user, though he used the term 'potentially' ironically. Thankfully, Arden has gotten used to his Semblance and doesn't abuse its power, so the most he suffers from is either physical exhaustion or the occasional bursting of veins, but since acquiring _Ephialtes,_ he usually recovers after some rest. A fine trade off considering his love of sleeping.

_No way am I going to explain all that to her._ He thought as he noticed that Kitsune was still awaiting an answer. Arden then did something that he knew he would probably regret later.

He plopped back down on the bed and faced away from the Fox Faunus girl and fell asleep.

Kitsune was not pleased, but had little time to act as someone entered the room. Kitsune was surprised to find that it was Fayleen.

'Hello.' Fayleen greeted with a small wave.

Kitsune gave a small wave in return. 'Hey Mrs-' Kitsune corrected herself. 'Hey Fayleen.'

Fayleen brightened. 'Glad to see you remembered. So how are you doing?'

Kitsune tilted her head to the side. 'I'm doing fine. Why?'

'Just wanted to check.' Fayleen responded. 'I just wanted to make sure. A lot happened for you guys today.' Fayleen then raised a brow in Arden's direction. 'What happened to him?'

Kitsune shrugged as she sat in her seat. 'No idea.'

Fayleen noticed the indifference with which she acted, but decided not to speak further on the subject. 'Anyway, I must admit that I'm impressed with how you did. You managed to deal with those militia men with no civilian casualties.'

Kitsune gave a small smile. 'It was a team effort. I couldn't have gotten anything done if Elaine and Zephyr-' Kitsune paused. 'And Arden weren't around.'

The addition of Arden came out of her mouth so unnaturally and reluctantly that Fayleen couldn't hide her confusion. 'Is something going on between you two?' the curious Cat Faunus inquired.

'What do you mean?' Kitsune asked, feigning ignorance. She hadn't informed Fayleen about the nature of her relationship with the only human on her team. Despite the fact that Kitsune now acknowledged his existence in a better light, he was still a stranger. Albeit a stranger she was responsible for, but a stranger none the less.

Her little ploy didn't work on Fayleen, but the Cat Faunus decided to have a little fun with her. 'I'm sure that my husband informed you that Amelia believed you and Arden were a couple, correct?' Kitsune frowned, but nodded. 'Well, after you told him that it wasn't like that, he informed me as such, but I was wondering if you weren't actually lying.'

Kitsune frowned. 'What do you mean by that?'

Fayleen gave an impish grin. 'Zephyr did tell me of an interesting story. What exactly were you and Arden doing in that hotel?'

Fayleen's answer came in the form of Kitsune storming out the door with a dark look on her face that matched the terrifying aura being emitted off her as she muttered something along the lines of 'I'm going to kill that bird brain.'

Fayleen chuckled to herself as Kitsune disappeared. Fayleen stayed in the room for a little while longer and glanced at Arden.

'I know you're awake.' The spectacled teen tensed. 'Don't worry, I won't tell Kitsune. I just wanted to say something to you.' Arden relaxed at this, but wondered where Fayleen was going with this. 'I know that Kitsune may have some issues with you.' That's an understatement. 'But she's a good and kind girl at heart.'

'I already know that.'

Fayleen heard the whisper that fell out of Arden's mouth and smiled. 'Yes. I suppose you would have considering you've been around her longer than I.' Fayleen paused. 'All I wanted to say was thank you for sticking by her and the others. You didn't have to come, but you did, and I don't think that you've been told that yet. Oh, and that we will be spending the night here as the train to the capital arrives in the morning.'

Fayleen then headed for the door, but stopped just as she was about to exit. 'Please, stay by those three. They're giving up a lot by being here, and they'll need people willing to stand by them.' No response, but as Fayleen stood in the hallway and shut the door behind her, she heard Arden say something, much louder and clearer this time.

'I wouldn't abandon them in the first place.'

Fayleen smiled and made her way down the hall.

Arden decided to get some sleep. He didn't bother thinking about what could happen tomorrow. The future always has its own troubles and Arden couldn't be bothered considering them.

Besides, how was he to guess that he would make an enemy out of a Princess, FRAY, and the Insurgents all in one day?


	9. Train Troubles: Part 1 of 2

'I hate trains. I mean, why couldn't we have stayed at Parish? The people were nice, the girls were cute, the food was delicious, the girls were cute, the beds were soft, the girls were cute, the location was beautiful, the girls-'

'Zephyr.'

'Yes Elaine?'

The Lioness Faunus shot the sickly Hawk Faunus a look. 'Shut up.'

Zephyr simply groaned in response and resisted the urge to hurl as the carriage rattled and jerked. Though they had been given a private room, courtesy of Marcus, the room wasn't exactly large and if Zephyr allowed himself vomit, he didn't doubt that the smell would be the least of his worries when faced with two very annoyed Faunus girls. Zephyr shuddered as he glanced over at Kitsune, the memory of yesterday evening when he was faced with the full brunt of the terrifying aura she reserved for Arden caused him to, quite literally, scream and faint like a little girl.

Zephyr found himself respecting Arden a lot more after that.

_Speaking of which._ 'Where is Arden?' Zephyr hadn't seen the spectacled teen ever since they boarded back at Parish. It had been an hour since then, and before they had even reached this room Arden had seemingly disappeared.

Kitsune turned her attention from the window and looked over at Zephyr, shrugged, then looked back out the window once more. Kitsune found herself enamoured by the scenery. The trees were of various sizes and shapes, and their leaves were the colours of the rainbow that glistened under the sun. With the train zooming by, it was like seeing an ocean of ever-changing colour. It was beautiful. _I should make sure to bring Dad and the others here some time._ She thought.

Zephyr left the Fox Faunus to her musings and shifted in his seat to face the Lioness Faunus, who was in the process of consuming quite a large amount of food provided by the staff. Zephyr cracked a smile at the sight. Elaine, wearing her usual grey singlet and kung fu pants, was easily going through the platters of food before her and showed no sign of slowing down. 'Elaine?' She stopped eating and raised a questioning brow in his direction. 'Do you know where Arden is?'

Elaine frowned, annoyed at being disturbed from the delicacies in front of her, but answered him nonetheless. 'No. He's definitely somewhere on the train, but I have no idea where.' She said before returning to her task of eating. Zephyr left her to it, having no desire to disturb her, and went back to complaining in his seat. Though in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but be curious as to where Arden could've ended up...

* * *

_What's that noise?_

Arden sat up on his makeshift bed of suitcases and peered over one of the large boxes that stood between him and the wall, concealing him from sight.

Perhaps some explanations are in order.

Arden boarded the train alongside Team KAZE as they were directed by Raymond to the room where they were to stay for the duration of the trip. Marcus was going to escort them personally, but was redirected by information from his staff and left them in the capable hands of his butler. However, Arden had learnt quite quickly that trains were loud, filled with noisy people. Not only that, but the fact he would have to share a room with his team mates left much to be desired considering Zephyr's motion sickness. So he took the first opportunity he could to escape and find somewhere to sleep. Said opportunity came when Zephyr almost threw up when the train started moving and Arden quietly walked off to find a place to rest while the others were distracted. It took him a while, but he eventually made his way to the back of the train and found the storage area for luggage that was to large for the passengers to carry on. Surprisingly, the carriage was unguarded, and Arden took the opportunity to sneak in and found that it was free of people, and quiet, possibly the quietest place in the train.

He set to work immediately.

Moving a few suitcases and boxes and crates, Arden had successfully made something resembling a bed in the corner of the room. Placing Lullaby to the side he climbed on top and instantly fell asleep. He was rather enjoying this, and would've remained asleep much longer if not for the ruckus that had woken him up. Said ruckus came from an oddly dressed group of people that Arden was currently observing from behind the crate shielding him from view.

Their attire was odd to say the least; all wearing full body armour that were differing shades of red and had some sort of insignia etched onto the breastplate. Arden looked at the group of six curiously, wondering if they were guards or train workers.

'Do you have the explosives?'

_So, they are obviously neither of those_. Arden watched as one of the armoured figures produced several small rectangular objects from a bag. The explosives? The nod of approval from the armoured figure that had spoken previously confirmed his thoughts.

Arden sighed internally, and quietly got off the bed and grabbed _Lullaby_. He then proceeded to exit his sleeping spot, making himself known to the group of six. The armoured figures stared blankly at him for a moment, and that moment was all Arden needed.

He quickly closed the gap between them, and with several quick, violent strikes he cut through their armour. Arden then thrust his right hand onto the floor. A series of mechanical whirring sounds and a cold sensation ran through Arden's body as _Ephialtes_ went to work. His right hand let off a white glow, which was the last thing the armoured men saw before they were encased in ice.

Arden stayed in his crouched position for a few moments. Using _Ephialtes_ always took a lot out of him, and using an element on this scale just made it worse. Considering he also used his semblance as well, he was trying very hard not to cough up blood.

After a few minutes had passes, Arden eventually got to his feet, right now wasn't the time to rest. Hell, he could always just collapse somewhere else after all. He looked around at the still frozen men and wondered what he should do...

Later, a group of six men led by Captain Roland of the Insurgents was found tied up and lying in a ditch not to far from the Capital train tracks. When questioned, Captain Roland would report to the higher ups that they were attacked by an unknown entity most likely in the service of Marcus Lyre.

Captain Roland would exaggerate many of the details, but the descriptions given of their assailant was six foot tall man in brown clothing wielding an unusual blade. Though the higher ups would scoff at the description, the head agreed that it was in their best interest to keep an eye out for this man in brown.

Presently, Arden was wondering if kicking the armoured men off the train (quite literally in fact; he even took the time to watch them roll down the hill) was his best idea. However, he merely shrugged it off and left the carriage before any more unwanted things showed up.

As he made his way through the carriages filled with people, he wondered where he was heading. After some thought, he decided to head for the room where he was meant to be staying alongside Kitsune and the others.

It didn't take him to much time to find the room. Opening the door, he was greeted with the sight of Elaine eating food, Zephyr glancing at him and saying 'hey' before groaning, and Kitsune who gave him a nod of acknowledgement before facing the window once more.

Arden was surprised. Aside from the sound of Elaine eating (Arden knew quite a few people who would be jealous of the fact that she could eat so much and still maintain her great figure) and Zehyr's occasional groaning, the room was quite quiet.

As Zephyr and Elaine were seated on one side of the room, that meant that the only free seat was next to Kitsune. Arden, to tired from dealing with the armoured men, sat down in the only available seat without a care in the world.

That was, of course, until he fell asleep.

* * *

The quiet of the room turned immediately to a deathly silence as Arden's head fell on Kitsune's lap. Elaine had stopped eating, Zephyr didn't dare groan, and Kitsune froze.

The Fox Faunus girl turned her head slowly from the beautiful scenery outside to the teen resting on her lap. She blinked a few times, as if she was imagining things, but the unkempt, spiky hair of the spectacled teen still remained and his breathing had become deep and even, indicating he was asleep.

The atmosphere in the room grew cold, and Elaine and Zephyr glanced at each other nervously before tensing as Kitsune removed her gaze from Arden to the two Faunus teens sitting across from her. Her eyes eventually, narrowed and fell on the Lioness Faunus.

'Elaine.' She started, her smile doing very little to hide how annoyed she was at her predicament. 'Would you please be so kind as to pass me one of those silver plates?'

Elaine remained silent and unmoving. She quickly glanced at Zephyr, who was unusually energetic in shaking his head from side-to-side and Elaine was finding herself in agreement with him. Sure, she wasn't exactly Arden's friend, but she certainly had no desire to see what Kitsune was going to do to him if she was handed a silver plate.

'Elaine.' Kitsune repeated, that same, eerie smile never leaving her face. 'Would you please be so kind as to pass me one of those silver plates?'

Elaine didn't do either. Instead, sheerly out of force of habit, she brazenly brought out her scroll and took a photo. The two girls eyes went wide in shock and Kitsune's face reddened considerably. 'Elaine!'

'I'm sorry!' Elaine hastily replied as she tried to delete the picture, only to slip and end up sending the picture to everybody in the room. A series of beeping sounds from three different scrolls filled the room, and when Kitsune checked hers, her face turned crimson.

'ELAINE!'

'It was an accident!'

Zephyr took out his scroll and saw the picture. While the two girls began to argue, he secretly saved the photo and hid his scroll. He then looked over at Kitsune. _I wonder if she realised she could've just pushed him off._ He thought to himself. Apparently it hadn't, which Zephyr thought was a good thing as he came up with an idea to get back at Kitsune for yesterday and the prank war a while back. 'Why don't you just let him rest? After all, you do owe him.'

The two girls stopped their argument, which had changed from Elaine justifying how she accidental sent the photo to her absolute refusal to hand Kitsune a silver plate, and faced Zephyr. Elaine was gawking at him, and Kitsune was glaring. Before the Fox Faunus could get a word in, Zephyr spoke first. 'Think about it. You stalk him for three days, you still haven't returned his Journal, I'm pretty certain that you slapped him, not to mention the stuff that happened during the prank week, also, the fact that he bothered to come here despite the fact that we really haven't given him reason to means that he at least cares enough about us to show up, and lets not forget what happened yesterday.'

Kitsune was still glaring, but in her mind she was considering Zephyr's words. She then frowned, scowled, glared, before turning her head in the direction of the window with an annoyed look on her face.

Elaine gawked once more, this time at how Kitsune had resigned herself to allowing Arden to use her lap as a pillow. She then looked over at Zephyr who had a small, triumphant smirk on his face. Elaine then shook her head in disbelief. _Un-freaking believable..._

At the same time, Zephyr's smirk was slowly fading and was replaced with a small grin as he looked at Arden.

_You totally owe me one_. The spectacled teen murmured something. Zephyr didn't hear it.

He was to busy trying not to throw up.

He groaned once more.

'I hate trains.'

* * *

Kitsune's gaze never drifted from the window as the sun began to set. The colour of the rainbow leaves dulled, and a shadow began to cast itself over the land. Even then, Kitsune couldn't help but admire the land of Notus. Filled with strange plants like fine jewels, cities and towns that showed evidence of advanced technology and had conflicting designs of both modern and archaic architecture that meshed together perfectly.

It was truly a sight to behold, but it did little to change her foul mood.

_Zephyr you bastard. Taking Elaine and leaving me in this situation._ Kitsune muttered several curses under her breath. _I will definitely get my revenge later, but-_ She glanced down at Arden, who was sound asleep on her lap and her eye twitched in irritation. _SERIOUSLY?! IT'S BEEN FREAKING SIX HOURS ALREADY! HOW LONG IS HE PLANNING TO SLEEP?! I'M NOT HIS PILLOW DAMNIT!_ Kitsune wasn't pleased. Firstly, Zephyr had asked Elaine to escort him out of the room, secondly Elaine had agreed to it, which meant that Kitsune was left alone with Arden. Thirdly, because of what Zephyr had said earlier, Kitsune found herself unable to simply push the sleeping teen off of her because she found some truth in his words (though when or why she had started to listen to Zephyr's words regarding the spectacled teen was beyond her) and couldn't exactly move him without feeling guilty.

Still, staying like that for six hours caused her to feel really, really bored. So bored in fact, that she had actually taken off Arden's glasses and put them on. To her surprise, she found that the lenses were fake, which caused her to wonder what the point of them was.

As she took the glasses off and fiddled with it in her hands, Arden began to stir. As his eyes began to open, Kitsune found her curiosity piqued. She had never seen him without his glasses on, she doubted anyone had, and unintentionally stared. She wondered if she was imagining things, because before his eyes opened completely, she could've sworn they had flickered several different colours before finally settling on a light purple, like the colour of an amethyst.

Arden looked directly at Kitsune. Kitsune stared back and learned just how much expression Arden could show when he was without his glasses. His eyes went wide, his face flushed and he sat up so quickly that he threatened to give himself whiplash as he fell off the seat and hit the carpeted floor.

Kitsune suppressed the urge to laugh as Arden groaned and got to his feet. Arden looked around for a moment, as if lost, before his eyes locked on to Kitsune. Kitsune couldn't help but think that the six hours had been worth it as Arden began to blush and looked away.

'So.' She began, her face keeping the same indifferent expression she usually used when speaking to Arden. 'Do you want to explain yourself?'

Arden tensed and began to fidget. 'I...um...'

Kitsune had to admit that she was enjoying herself. Seeing Arden act so out of character was a real treat.

'C-can I please have my glasses back?' Arden asked, completely dodging/ignoring her question. Though he was feeling embarrassed for a number of reasons, most of that embarrassment stemmed from being without his glasses. Without them he felt naked. Not only that, but if his eyes decided they wanted to change colour again it would raise many more questions causing him more problems.

_Ephialtes_ really came with a lot of weird side effects.

Kitsune raised a brow at him and smirked as an idea came to her. 'Okay.' She said, holding out the glasses. Arden brightened and reached for them, but Kitsune quickly pulled her arm back. 'But first, you are going to have to answer some questions for me.'

Arden's mood dampened and he reluctantly nodded as he sat on the seat opposite to her. Kitsune was actually surprised at how compliant he was. Her she had spent almost a month trying to get Arden to answer her questions, and all she had to do was take his glasses. She found herself annoyed that she spent so much time doing everything but that. However, now that she had his attention, she wondered what she was going to ask. Sure she had many questions on her mind, but one in particular was on her mind.

'Why did you come with us to Notus?'

It had been on her mind for a while after Zephyr had mentioned it. Arden's act of coming with them to Notus made very little sense and she felt that she had to know why. No, she NEEDED to know why. Because she knew for a fact that if she was in Arden's shoes she would never have come along.

Arden gave her a perplexed look. Kitsune had to admit, without his glasses, Arden's expressions were a lot more pronounced.

'I came to Notus because you were going.'

Arden's reply completely caught the Fox Faunus girl of guard. While she was distracted, Arden quickly grabbed his glasses and put them back on before running out the door.

By the time Kitsune recovered, and run out the door after him, Arden had already disappeared. Scowling, she sat back down in her seat.

Arden's words resounded in her head, causing her to unintentionally blush. His response didn't actually answer anything, it only left her with more questions.

'I just don't get that guy.' She mumbled under her breath.

Little did she know, Zephyr had left his scroll in the room and recorded the whole thing.

* * *

Arden continued to hurry through the various carriages, a mixture of fear and embarrassment causing him to not turn back. It was only after he had bolted out of the room that he realised that there was some implications with his words. Not that he believed Kitsune would ever take it that way of course, considering her dislike of humanity in general.

_What a pity._ He thought as he began to slow down to a fast walk. _I really wouldn't mind being friends with her if she would allow me_. Arden began to slow further till he was simply walking, passing by the windows that showed the mountain ranges and forest glow as they lay under the moonlight.

He couldn't help but smile as he looked at the serene sight.

_'Where are you from?'_

_'Notus.'_

_'Notus? Where's that?'_

_'It's across the sea...It's a beautiful country. I think you would enjoy it Arden.'_

'Well, you were right about that.' He said to himself as he remembered a conversation he had had with an old friend. _I hope you've been taking care of yourself, Vin._

A lot of people had wondered how he and Vin had become such close friends, considering their contrasting personalities. Vincent, always vibrant, diligent and energetic. Then there was him, lazy, sarcastic and lethargic. However, despite their differences, the two of them always had each others backs. It was Vin who had told him all about Notus after he and his family moved to Arden's home town in Atlas. It was also thanks to Vin's father that Arden was still alive.

But that's a story for another day.

Tired of staring out the window, Arden was about to leave, but then he saw several shadows move towards the train with such speed that he doubted anyone else saw them. Including the guards.

He opened the window and stuck his head out. Thanks to the moonlight, he could see the shadows jump onto the roof of one of the carriages.

Arden considered if he should do something about it. After some internal struggle, and recalling the event with those weird armoured people this morning, Arden decided to check it out.


	10. Train Troubles: Part 2 of 2

Arden couldn't help but compare his current circumstance to that of an old western movie.

The rumbling of the engine and the sound of wheels grinding against the tracks as the train continued to move, causing torrents of air to billow against his person. The forest to the left gradually becoming smaller as the locomotive began to ascend onto a rocky mountain, the large wall of stone looking more and more imposing with the slow uphill climb.

Arden struggled to maintain his footing as he carefully made his way towards the shadowy figures suspiciously skulking about on the rooftops before huddling together on the front cart. Arden was thankful for the fact that the moon was bright and the sky was clear, so even without night vision he could make out the fact that the shadows were in fact people and not Grimm.

That would've been bad. In his rush out of the room, he had left _Lullaby_ behind, meaning his only weapon was _Ephialtes. _And considering how tough Grimm were, he preferred to have his sword rather than his arm.

Arden considered if continuing his approach was the wisest course of action. He had no idea who these people were, and he despised having to go out of his way to find out.

_But Marcus did say that there were violent groups within Notus. _He thought, remembering Marcus' words from a while back._ Considering what happened this morning..._ Arden cursed internally. He would have to actually check what was going on and deal with it or it would cause him more problems later.

_Think positively Arden. If you deal with this now, you can enjoy a nice long nap later._ Arden felt himself becoming motivated at the thought. If he dealt with whatever possible nefarious purpose that had brought those people here, then he had less chance to be caught up in any of the after-effects, meaning he would have more sleep time later!

_Woah! _

Arden almost fell over as the train finished it's ascent and the tracks began to even out, causing the carriage to jerk as it did so. That was close. He thought as he regained his balance. _Now, time to- Hey, where'd they go?_

Arden felt a chill as he found that the huddled mass had disappeared. He looked to the right and left, but they were still nowhere in sight.

_I've got a bad feeling about-_

Arden's thought was interrupted as he felt an odd sensation in his chest. Looking down, he saw something that did not belong there. A thin, sharp pointed piece of metal that shimmered under the moonlight.

'Spying is rude you know.'

Arden looked over his shoulder to the source of the voice. There, holding the handle of the blade that pierced his chest, was a fierce looking Snake Faunus whose forked tongue stuck out of his ghastly snarl. He wasn't alone either. To his sides stood a Bat Faunus and a Bear Faunus, who both smirked at the spectacled teen.

Arden suppressed a cry as the Snake removed the blade and pushed him forward, causing Arden to fall to his knees.

'Tch. Still alive.' The Snake Faunus circled the teen till he was right in front of him. 'No matter.' The Snake raised his blade, the blood gleaming in the moonlight.

With a triumphant smirk, the Snake struck.

* * *

Misha sat at the large rectangular table placed inside her private carriage and awaited the arrival of the team Marcus Lyre had brought back from Vale. Marcus Lyre, as well as his wife and daughter, were seated at the table with her as they ate the dinner provided by the Royal Family's private chef. Misha was currently enjoying her meal when the door suddenly opened.

'Princess Misha Notus, I would like to introduce to you Kitsune Veritas, Elaine Rovra and Zephyr Rush.'

Misha looked over at the three Faunus that Raymond Frostbite introduced and gave a polite nod as she examined them. _A Fox Faunus, A...Lion Faunus? No, a Lioness would probably make more sense considering, and-_ Misha's jaw almost dropped as she laid her eyes upon Zephyr Rush, or more specifically the feathery coat that covered him like a cocoon, which he unfurled when taking a seat; revealing them to be a pair of large, white-spotted wings. _A BIRD FAUNUS?! THERE IS SUCH A THING AS A BIRD FAUNUS?!_ Misha had believed she had seen it all with her brothers strange habit of wandering off into town and bringing back random items, people (and, on one, occasion an Ursa Major) but she never expected to see a Bird Faunus.

'It's a pleasure to meet you all.' She said after recovering from her initial shock. The Faunus greeted her in their own particular fashions. Kitsune gave an indifferent glance and a slight nod, Elaine gave a thumbs up before reaching out for the food on the table and digging in, and Zephyr gave a charming smile and waved before his expression turned sickly as he prevented himself from throwing up.

'Princess Misha is also a student at Aspire.' Marcus explained to the trio. 'You will probably be seeing a lot of her around the Academy so I thought it best for you to be acquainted.'

'Yes.' Misha confirmed. 'Sir Lyre has told me much about you all, and I must admit that I am curious about you lot myself.'

'How so?' Asked Zephyr, who it had once again fallen upon to engage in cordial conversation despite his sickly state.

'I have never left the border of Notus, so I know very little of the world beyond.' Misha replied. 'Not only that, but those that immigrate to Notus usually don't do so through the connections of a government official.'

'So you do get people from other countries then? Like Vale or Atlas?'

Misha nodded in response. 'Yes. They are quite rare but not non-existent, though I believe you are the first to ever transfer here from somewhere as prestigious as Beacon Academy.'

Zephyr gave a sheepish grin. Man, Beacons reputation reaches everywhere. While Zephyr attempted to keep the contents of his stomach from spilling onto the table, Misha glanced at the other two Faunus teens. The Fox Faunus, Kitsune, was currently engaged in conversation with Marcus Lyre's wife and seemed to have a much more friendly disposition then towards Misha herself. Something that irked the princess but it was an easy matter to simply overlook it. Marcus Lyre himself had left the room only a few moments ago to speak with Raymond about something, which piqued the Princess interest, but she let it be. Meanwhile, the Lioness Faunus was-

_Dust! How much can that girl eat?! _

Elaine Rovra was like a machine, pouring unruly amounts of food onto her plate and eating it all in regular thirty second intervals. Misha had to admit she felt a bit jealous. Elaine had a good body, Misha would give anything to be able to eat as much as she does without putting on weight.

_Three Faunus..._ Misha noticed something wrong with this picture._ Wait, teams are traditionally made up of fours? And I do recall Sir Lyre speaking of a complete four-man team..._

'Ms. Kitsune? Where's Mr. Arden?'

Apparently Amelia Lyre noticed as well. Misha turned her head toward the young Cat Faunus, whose level of adorableness was unfathomable, and waited to see how the conversation would turn out. She could've sworn that she saw the orange haired girls eye twitch before she began to explain.

'I don't know.' Was the honest reply.

Amelia tilted her head to the side, signifying that she didn't understand. 'What do you mean?'

'I don't know.' Kitsune repeated. 'He ran out of the room that your dad booked for us a little while before your Uncle Raymond informed me of the dinner.'

Amelia hummed but nodded her head. She then proceeded to hop off of her mothers lap and walk towards the door, but was stopped as her mother grabbed her.

'And where do you think that you're off too young lady?' Fayleen said with a frown.

Amelia looked up at her mother and smiled. 'I'm going to find Mr. Arden! He could be really hungry right now.' Everyone in the room, even Colleen, the silent Rabbit Faunus teen that had accompanied her all the way from Nocturne, had to stifle their laughter as they saw how proud the little girl was of her declaration.

Eventually, Fayleen smiled and said. 'Okay then, but there is no way I am letting you go off on your own.'

Amelia thought for a moment, and then grinned as she grabbed Kitsune's hand. 'It's okay mum, Miss Kitsune will help me!'

Kitsune was startled momentarily then frowned. 'I never agreed to this.'

Amelia faced the Fox Faunus with an incredibly hurt and downcast expression, causing Kitsune's resolve to waver.

'Fine...' she muttered. 'I'll go...'

Kitsune realised she had been tricked when Amelia's expression instantly changed to a smile and she was quickly dragged out the door. Dragged pass Marcus and Raymond, she saw the latter of the two give a bemused grin before returning to his discussion with his butler. Though what they said was known only to them as the others were now out of earshot.

'Are you absolutely certain Ray? I have no doubts about your ability to procure information, it's just...'

'I understand your confusion Master Lyre, even I am hard pressed to believe it, but those are the facts regarding Mr. Cross.'

Marcus had no idea how to process such unbelievable information. He had heard the rumour, whispers in the darkest corners of the halls and tall tales. But to find the whispers to take form was something else entirely.

'Raymond...tell me all you know about the Ephialtes Project.'

Raymond nodded. Though now may not have been the most opportune time, it stood to be addressed immediately.

'The Ephialtes Project was born from a single question: What would happen if you infused a Hunter with Dust? Lacing the bone, blood and muscles with pure energy. If such a thing was accomplished imagine the results. Hunters and Huntresses with access to all forms of Elemental powers. Energy coursing through there veins. It was ambitious...but it was a failure. For the only thing that was certain from the Ephialtes project, was death.'

* * *

'W-what are you?'

The human he had been about to kill, the one who looked as if he was on the verge of death, had done the unimaginable.

He had caught the blade of the sword and crushed it in his right hand.

Before Clay had any time to react, the Snake Faunus found his head facing the sky as the spectacled teens fist connected with his jaw. It felt like he was being hit with the full force of a charging Ursa Major.

His Team didn't fare any better.

Cathal, the large Bear Faunus and giant of a man, was the next to fall as the spectacled teen swiftly turned around and closed the distance between them almost instantly. Cathal was blinded as the teens arm covered itself with wild sparks of electricity, and when the teens fist crashed into the Bear Faunus gut it was like his entire body was struck by lightning, not even allowing him the time to scream as his body shut down.

The Bat Faunus, Lilith, recovered from her shock and attacked. Drawing her pistols, she began to fire consecutive shots at the teen. Lilith smirked, thinking she had caught him off guard, but was shocked when a wall of ice formed from the teens arm and stood between them, shielding him from the bullets. The ice then began to crack before shattering completely as the spectacled teen lunged at lilith, the ice covering his arm taking the form of a lance, which he thrust directly at the Bat Faunus neck. Lilith went wide eyed, and jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the lance. Before Lilith could consider her next move, the teen moved his arm to the side in a swiping motion, knocking the woman in the head and shattering into hundreds of little pieces.

Clay was both surprised and angered by the human who had turned the tables with a well placed surprise attack. But how was he still moving? He had just been stabbed through the chest! That should've been enough to incapacitate and end him. Something was really wrong with this picture. Clay got to his feet, finding himself much more unstable than he thought, and glared at the teen, who had turned to face him.

_Tch. This is bad. I have no weapon, Lilith and Cathal are out, and I have no idea how to deal with this guy._ Clay was pissed. This was supposed to be a simple job, a snatch and grab. Steal the information that Marcus Lyre had regarding the government plan Plato and report back to the leaders of FRAY. They were free to deal with any...unwanted distractions, as they saw fit. To bad that this unwanted distraction proved to be much more than they could handle. Clay snarled, if he had killed the teen immediately, then this wouldn't have happened.

'WHAT ARE YOU! DAMNIT?!'

Clay had fought a lot in his lifetime, and most of those opponents were human, but no human like this. The teen simply raised a brow and shrugged in response, before turning around and moving away.

'Take your friends and leave.'

He said as he left. Clay could hear the low, threatening undertone that lay beneath. Clay scowled. The idea of retreating from a human was ridiculous, but when he looked at Cathal and Lilith, he put his pride aside and decided to take the opportunity to retreat. However, before the spectacled teen disappeared completely, Clay took out his scroll and took a photo of him. Though the image was blurry, due to the fact that it was still night, it caught most of what Clay wanted.

Gathering his two comrades, he vowed to repay the teen for his interference should they ever meet again and vanished into the night.

* * *

Arden swung down from the roof and entered the carriage through a window he had opened previously.

It was a private changing room. Why such a thing was on a train, he was uncertain, but he did know that it came in handy. Silently dropping onto the floor, Arden immediately fell to his hands and knees. He could feel it now, the effects of over using Ephialtes. He began to shake violently and began to cough, only to suppress it from going any further as his blood sprayed out on the floor.

_'Remember Arden. Ephialtes will sustain your body and increase its healing capabilities, but using it repeatedly in succession will cause more harm then good.'_

Arden slowly got back to his feet as he felt a gradual, cooling sensation pass through his body.

_'Don't worry too much if you do though. As long as you get an adequate amount of rest, then your Semblance should boost its healing capabilities. Just remember to never exceed the five-minute marker for using Ephialtes.'_

Arden looked around. Thankfully the room was empty, so he decided to take this opportunity to check the damage to his clothes. He took off his jacket, vest, and shirt, leaving him in only his pants and shoes, and looked at the damage to his clothes. It wasn't as bad as he expected. Aside from the small vertical lines in the place where he had been stabbed, the rest of his clothing was fine.

_At the very least I can get it patched up. These are my favourite clothes. _

Satisfied, Arden then looked down at his chest and saw that the hole had almost completely closed. Honestly, he was thankful that no one was around, especially anyone he knew.

If they saw _Ephialtes_ then they would have a hell of a lot of questions that he couldn't be bother answering.

_Ephialtes..._

When Arden was younger, an incident with a Grimm had cost the teen half of his upper torso. His right arm and chest had been completely stripped off him, and only the timely arrival of his father and Vin's father saved his life.

It was also what awoke his Semblance before he blacked out.

Arden wasn't aware of what occurred during the period between when he was unconscious to when he woke up three weeks later, but he quickly figured it out once he woke up.

Arden unconsciously touched the right half of his chest with his right arm. Rather than feeling the sensation of skin against skin, it was bone against bone and metal against metal. _Ephialtes_ was created from a mixture of Grimm bone, steel, and a hell of a lot of cybernetics. His right chest looked like it was covered in armoured plating, like a Grimm's exoskeleton. His arm was like a gauntlet of white and grey, with slightly pointed fingers like claws. A marvel of technology, the cybernetics within _Ephialtes_ resulted it in being almost completely organic in nature, meaning that it was like having a normal arm...

Aside from having the added side effects of essentially being a living source of energy.

Arden got dressed and then left the room. He was quite careful about it, and managed to make it to his teams room without incident. Opening the door, he found that it was completely vacant.

_Awesome..._ Arden thought as he crawled onto one of the seats and fell asleep. A beautiful, beautiful sleep...

* * *

_'Hey Arden, let's go exploring today!'_

_Arden sat up on the couch of his families living room and stared blankly at his best friend, Vin._

_'No.' Was his curt reply and he went back to lazing about on the couch. Vin ignored the reply and grabbed Arden's leg and dragged him off the couch, much to the 11 year old's chagrin, and began to drag him out of the house. Arden frowned as his father, mother and siblings looked at him and smirked while he was being dragged off against his will. _

_It wasn't as if it were uncommon for this to happen. Arden was always dragged along whenever Vin decided to go out on one of his adventures, but it didn't mean that Arden enjoyed being taken away from his nap time._

_Eventually, Arden resigned himself to his fate and began to walk on his own. Vin chattered away excitedly as they walked towards the forest bordering town, talking about all sorts of random things they could find. Arden simply nodded, and occasionally would give an answer._

_'A sloth.' _

_Vin looked at him incredulously. 'A sloth? Seriously? Out of all the animals you could have chosen to be, you choose a sloth?'_

_Arden simply nodded, and Vin rolled his eyes as they entered the forest. However, before they could go to far in, a voice stopped them._

_'Arden! Vincent!'_

_The two kids stopped and turned around to see who it was that called them. It was an eight year old girl, with short blonde hair and blue eyes who grinned as she approached. _

_'Hey lil sis, what's up?'_

_Vin's sister gave a small smile. Despite the fact that she was incredibly shy, around her family and Arden's she was actually far more out going. Arden was a bit like her in that regard. He had been known to get rather loud with Vin if he was annoyed enough. 'Not much, I just wanted to see where you guy's were going and ask if I could come with.'_

_Vin and Arden exchanged looks before simultaneously raising their brows at the young girl._

_'I don't know Alexis.' Vin said as he smirked. 'exploring is pretty dangerous stuff.'_

_Alexis smirked back. 'Don't worry, I'll make sure to keep you two safe.'_

_Vin frowned and pinched his sisters cheeks. 'What's a cheeky runt like you gonna do?'_

_Alexis pinched Vin's cheeks in response. 'What's a moron like you going to do?'_

_'What did you call me?!'_

_'You heard me!'_

_'Oh that's it!'_

_'Bring it punk!'_

_Arden watched as the two began to play fight with one another. Understanding how these situations usually end up, Arden was about to sneak off, but did so to late as the two siblings turned to him and simultaneously shouted._

_'ARDEN!'_

_'No comment.' was his immediate reply. He refused to be dragged into another one of their tiring arguments. Thankfully, the two managed to resolve it themselves and Arden watched in amusement as Vin caved and allowed Alexis to come along._

_'Alright.' Alexis said triumphantly. 'Let's go!'_

_Vin rolled his eyes but smiled as he followed, with Arden not to far behind..._

* * *

'MR. ARDEN! WAKE UP!'

Arden groaned as he slowly came back to the realm of the living. _I haven't had a dream like that in a while._ No, a memory. Arden hadn't thought about that day in a while, it was the day that he had lost his arm. _You know, if this were a story, then it would be like it's foreshadowing something._ He mused as his eyes completely opened and he sat back up on the chair.

'Good morning Mr. Arden!'

Arden looked up from the floor and looked in the direction of Amelia. The Cat Faunus girl had a wide-grin on her face and looked much more excited then usual. Arden smiled and nodded in response to the girl, but couldn't help but wonder what she was doing here. He ended up having no time to ask as Amelia grabbed his hand and dragged him off.

The action reminded him of Vincent, Arden hoped that he was doing well. The last time they saw each other was after the incident with that Faunus gang a couple years back.

_That was a bad day for everybody._

Arden had little time to reminisce on the thought as Amelia stopped moving. Looking around, the spectacled teen found himself standing on the platform outside the train along with the ex-beacon students, Marcus and his family (plus Raymond) and two girls he was unfamiliar with. The platform was full of people, but they seemed to be giving the group a wide-berth. Though he had no idea why, and he really didn't care too much. Arden glanced at his team before his eyes fell on Kitsune and he quickly averted his gaze.

_I have never been more thankful for these glasses then I am right now._

'Good to see you join us, Mr. Cross.' Marcus said amusedly snapping the teen out of his thoughts. Arden gave a slight grin which Marcus returned before motioning to the two new girls. 'Your team has already had the pleasure of her company, but allow me to introduce you too Princess Misha Notus and her friend, Colleen. Princess Misha and Colleen are both students at Aspire in the same year as you, so I pray that you will all get along.'

Arden simply nodded in response, and the girls responded in kind (though the Princess seemed to be annoyed and Arden could faintly hear her muttering something like 'great, another quiet one.')

Marcus then cleared his throat. 'Now then, I believe I shall do the honours.'

'Welcome to-'

'ARDEN?!'

Marcus was interrupted and the entire group was shocked as a blonde-blur came from seemingly out of nowhere and tackled straight into Arden. The spectacled teen, though startled, had managed to retain his footing and looked down. The blur had cleared, revealing it to be a girl, who was probably only a couple years younger then he was and had light blonde hair. Her arms were wrapped around his chest and she looked up at him with a large grin and two sparkling blue eyes. Though she looked more mature than when he last saw her, Arden recognised her instantly.

'Hey, Alexis.'

* * *

Zephyr gawked at the scene of the spectacled teen being embraced by the blonde beauty. He quickly grabbed Elanie.

'Who is that girl? How the heck does Arden know a beauty like that?!' He whispered.

'I don't know.' Elaine replied. 'But I'm more worried about that.' Elaine pointed at Kitsune, who had that sickeningly sweet smile she had yesterday.

Zephyr shuddered. Only a miracle could save him now.

* * *

It wasn't exactly a miracle, but it may be considered one as another blur rushed towards the spectacled teen and embraced both him and Alexis and lifted them up in the air.

Too everyone's surprise, it was a Wolf Faunus. 'Arden you bastard! Why didn't you tell us you were coming to Notus?' He said as he put the two down. Alexis released her grip on Arden then stood next to the Faunus.

'That's right!' She said in agreement. 'We would've prepared a party and everything!'

Arden simply looked at the two of them and shrugged. 'No comment.'

The group watched in curiosity as the two new arrivals gave a wry smile as they felt a wave of nostalgia run over them. 'You're terrifyingly consistent you know.' The Wolf Faunus said, to which Arden simply shrugged.

Alexis turned around and was surprised when she saw the group of Faunus and humans staring at them in confusion. Out of habit, she retreated behind Arden and the Wolf Faunus. The Wolf Faunus, however, turned to face them and gave a wry grin. He was going to introduce himself, when another unwelcome interruption occurred.

'ARDEN?!'

The group then looked at the new arrival, and only those from Notus were shocked as their eyes lay upon the proud figure of Vincent Flint. The youngest Royal Guard in history.

Marcus was stunned. _How does Arden know him?!_

Misha was startled. _V-Vincent?! What's he doing here?! Oh... I hope I look okay._

Kitsune was confused. _Who the hell are these people?_

Zephyr and Elaine were still getting over the fact that Arden knew such a beauty.

Amelia was looking between Alexis and Kitsune and had her own confused thoughts. _I thought Arden and Kitsune were like mummy and daddy, so who is this girl?_

Arden, meanwhile, had his own thoughts, and as Vincent approached with a grin, Arden shot forward and did something he had wanted to do for two years.

He kicked Vincent in the face.

* * *

Everyone in the station was gob-smacked as they watched the spectacled teen kick the Royal Guard in the face. The bystanders that had been watching the scene were stunned, even more so when the supposed most dignified and handsome of the Guard scowled and shouted.

'YOU BASTARD! IS THAT HOW YOU TREAT YOUR BEST FRIEND?!'

Then it was the Beacon students turn to be surprised when Arden responded in kind.

'YOU DESERVE IT! WHAT TYPE OF PERSON THROWS THEIR FRIEND INTO A LAKE THE DAY THEY LEAVE?!'

'THAT WAS TWO YEARS AGO DAMNIT! GET OVER IT!'

'I REFUSE!'

'NOW YOU'RE JUST BEING UNREASONABLE!'

'I KNOW! BUT I REFUSE TO SEE REASON IF THAT REASON MEANS YOU'RE CORRECT!'

'THAT'S UNFAIR!'

'I DON'T CARE!'

While the two of them continued to bicker like children, Misha found her image of Vincent slowly crumbling before her eyes. This wasn't the strong, handsome, dignified Hunter that she had come to idolise. This was...this was...

Misha glared at Arden, who was still in the middle of bickering with Vincent, the conversation taking a turn towards 'who should've gotten that last slice of chocolate cake'. _This is all his fault. If he weren't around..._ Misha walked off, unjustified resentment growing in her chest.

Meanwhile, the Wolf Faunus turned towards the group as Alexis walked off to end this petty squabble.

'So...' he said, gaining their attention. 'How's it going?'


	11. How did things turn out like this?

The two stood at opposite ends of the arena, the stadium surrounding them empty, save for the few understanding the circumstances behind the duel.

'You will learn your place boy!'

The large-burly man roared, brandishing his Dust Lance and Shield as he did so in a violent display of strength and skill, pounding at the earth and thrashing into the air in an effort to intimidate the young man.

The spectators watched the display in awe and fear. The burly man was certainly imposing, armoured in metal plating and wearing a necklace of bone, his face unhidden and showing the various scars that adorned it. On his right breast plate was an emblem, a golden wreath with an "R" in it's center, signifying his status as a Royal Guard.

'I am Lamorak "_The Iron Lance_"! I have slain the Dragon Grimm of the Black Peaks! I have fought the Legions of the Plains and won! Where I go Man and Grimm alike tremble before me! Any my might knows no equal!' He glared and pointed the tip of _Lancelot_ in his opponents direction. 'You will pay for your trespasses against my family.'

His opponents response was both calm and even, surprising all present save for himself and one other. The young man simply stared at Lamorak with his amethyst coloured eyes and drew his weapon. The Falchion seemed to sing as it was drawn and the white blade of _Lullaby_ shone in the sunlight.

'You talk too much.'

From the side-lines, the seven of them watched, feelings of concern, guilt, and uncertainty taking hold. The Fox Faunus girl watched the scene in frustration. Frustration directed towards herself and the teen who refused to listen to reason. Her hands gripped tighter around his glasses, given to her only a few moments before he entered the stage.

_'Why are you doing this?' Kitsune asked, her hand gripped tightly around his arm to prevent him from moving. What he was doing didn't make sense. Hell, what he did to get himself in this situation more so. She had no idea how to react when the spectacled teen removed his glasses with his free hand and handed them to her with a smile, before freeing his arm and walking off._

Kitsune was snapped out of her thoughts as a bell rang, signalling the start of the duel. She had no idea what else to feel but frustration.

_How did things turn out like this?_

* * *

_**That Morning...**_

* * *

'So...how's it going?'

Kitsune turned her head slightly towards the direction of the silver-haired Wolf Faunus, keeping her eyes on him but occasionally glancing at the scene Arden was making. The heated argument between the two teens was ending as the spectacled teen began to cough profusely, his throat strained from not raising his voice for the past few months. Kitsune directed her full attention to the Wolf Faunus when she saw the blonde girl and boy pat Arden's back with amused expressions, an unknown feeling rising within her. Ignoring it, she managed to focus just in time as the Wolf Faunus introduced himself.

'I'm Fen Managmr.' He said as he gave a slight bow. 'May I know the names of the individuals who are in the company of my brother?'

Though his tone came off as somewhere between rude and polite, and the way he refereed to Arden as 'Brother' caused most in the group to jump back in surprise, what garnered Kitsune's attention was his eyes. Cold, calculating eyes that were constantly examining everyone, searching for something known only to him. His eyes momentarily locked with hers, and seemed to linger there for a moment before he smirked. Kitsune didn't understand the meaning behind the gesture, but for some reason it irritated her. Which was why she felt no small amount of satisfaction when the Wolf Faunus was smacked across the head, the blow causing him to rub the affected area before sending a scowl in the direction of his blonde-haired assailant.

'What was that for Vincent?' Fen exclaimed.

'Sorry for his behaviour.' Vincent said, ignoring Fen's question and the dirty looks he was receiving. 'He's a good person, it's just that he is somewhat lacking in the intelligence department.' Kitsune smirked as the silver-haired teen looked like he had witnessed the biggest hypocrisy in the world. 'After all, I doubt any normal person would fail to recognise the Head of FRAME.' Vincent bowed in respect to Marcus Lyre, who, though having many questions on his mind, responded in kind.

'Think nothing of it.' Marcus said as he straightened up. 'Though I must admit that I am quite surprised to see one of the Royal Guard here.'

Kitsune's ears twitched slightly. She had read about the topic of the Royal Guard in one of the books in the library of Marcus private ship. Supposedly, it was a group comprised of the best Hunters and Huntress' in Notus. Considering the display between him and Arden earlier, Kitsune would have thought Notus standards for Hunters was quite low, but a training session she had with Fayleen a while back declared otherwise, meaning that the blonde-haired young man before her was definitely someone to be wary of.

'I actually had a day off and was thinking of taking a trip to the beach with Fen and Alexis.' Vincent explained. 'Second term starts up next week, and due to a variety of circumstances I ended up with today free.' The blonde-haired teen grinned. 'I never expected to find Arden here of all places. Looks like getting the day off was more of a treat than I expected.'

Kitsune looked pass the grinning teen and at Arden, and what she saw caused that unknown feeling to stir once more. The spectacled teen was approaching the group with that blonde girl tightly gripping on to his sleeve as she trailed behind, sticking as closely to him as possible. Kitsune found herself getting irritated at the sight, but pushed it aside as the pair joined the group and Vincent spoke up once more.

'Still, I am curios as well. How exactly do you know Arden?' Vincent paused and turned his head towards the teen in question. 'Come to think of it, why are you in Notus?'

Arden looked at Vincent for a moment, then motioned his head towards Marcus, not even bothering giving a worded response. Something that the Ex-Beacon Students and, to a lesser extent, the Lyre Family plus Raymond had grown accustomed to.

'I see. So you're saying that you and your team-mates; Kitsune, Elaine and Zephyr, were transferred to the Combat School here in Notus under the request and supervision of Sir Lyre, and that you were currently awaiting what to do next before I showed up?'

_...What?_

Arden gave a slight nod.

_...WHAAAAAAAAT?!_

Kitsune was speechless, as was everyone else, as to how the Royal Guard managed to get all of that from those gestures. She once again felt that unusual feeling, and it only seemed to intensify when Fen began to laugh. It was innocent, joyful laughter. The cold, calculating gaze was gone and replaced soft, almost warm eyes. It didn't make sense to Kitsune. Why would a Faunus be so much more comfortable around a group of humans then around their own kind? What's more, what is with the familiarity and camaraderie between all of them?

Kitsune had little time to think on it when an idea suddenly came to Vincent.

'Excuse me, Sir Lyre, but I have a request.'

'Oh?'

'Yes. As Arden and his friends are new to Nocturne, I believe they would be in need of a guide, correct?'

Marcus eyes widened as he realised what Vincent was proposing, he was going to object, but Vincent beat him to it. 'I insist that it be me. Not only is Arden my best friend, but I am quite interested in getting to know his team-mates as well. And what better opportunity is there then now?'

Kitsune could tell that Marcus was still going to object, but his wife nudged him and shot him a look, and Marcus resigned himself with a nod. 'Okay, I suppose that's fine.' Marcus turned to the Ex-Beacon students. 'Is this arrangement okay with you? My staff will tend to your belongings, and I can have Raymond meet you and escort you to my home once it is over.'

The group looked at the three Faunus teens expectantly, as they already assumed that Arden would be going along (which he would be, but not by his own volition, as Vincent would have forced him to go regardless of Marcus decision). Kitsune considered what she should do. Normally she would have refused the offer immediately, but was surprised to find herself hesitating.

'I don't mind, it sounds like fun.'

Kitsune glanced over at Zephyr, who had a good natured grin as he spoke. 'Besides, I'm quite interested to learn more about Arden, considering he really never speaks about himself. Or speaks...at all.'

Kitsune realised the truth in Zephyr's words, and that caused her to feel guilty. _Wait? Why should I feel guilty? It's not like I care_. Kitsune recalled what Arden said in the train last night. _That has nothing to do with me. That was his own decision. There is absolutely no reason-_

'I'll go.'

Kitsune cursed her slip of the tongue, and she could practically feel Elaine's confusion as the Lioness Faunus raised a brow at her.

'Well, if Kit's fine with it then I am to.' Elaine said after some time, though it was quite clear to everyone that she was confused. Kitsune was just as confused as Elaine, but decided not to correct herself as it made more sense to learn as much about Nocturne as quickly as possible. Also, she had to admit that she was curious about Arden's relationship with these people.

'Then it's settled!' Vincent declared. 'Sir Lyre, will you do the honours?'

Kitsune was confused as to what he meant, but Marcus understood. 'I believe I shall, but let's do it outside, it seems a far more appropriate place.'

Vincent grinned. 'You have good taste.'

Marcus grinned in response, and after telling Raymond a few things, the Butler nodded and set to carry out the task of organising the staff to transport Team KAZE's luggage. While he did this Marcus told the Beacon Student's and Co. to follow him up the flight of stairs that led outside. Once they reached the top, all their jaws dropped at the sight, much to the understandable amusement of the Notus natives.

There, standing in the center of the circular street, was a Dust Crystal the size of Beacon Academy and three times as tall.

'What-'

'The-'

'Hell?!'

'Shiny.'

The three Faunus teens shot the spectacled teen a look of disbelief, while Marcus only laughed.

'Well, I believe I'll say it now.' He said, gaining their attention.

'Welcome to Nocturne.'

* * *

_This place is amazing._ Kitsune thought as they continued to follow the Royal Guard through the busy streets of the Capital.

According to what Marcus had told everyone before he left, the entire city was built in a circular fashion with the large Dust Crystal at it's center. The Crystal itself was used to power everything in the city, and was rumoured to be like an iceberg, meaning that it was much, much larger underground. The City itself was also a marvel. The pathways were made of marble, and people rarely seemed to use any form of automotive. Preferring to walk over all else, the street was full of all manner of people, Human and Faunus alike, and some had even set up stalls to sell their wares. Various business also functioned as living places for the owners, and the businesses run were not that different from what she had seen in Vale or other cities, though the stores were a lot more colourful.

Vincent had been explaining to them the various ins and outs of Nocturne for the past few hours and had taken them to his favourite spots, which turned out to be; a Weapons Store called '_Ashes to Ashes_', a Cafe called '_Château_', and a public park that had a fountain in the center.

It was about one in the afternoon now, and the effects of the snacks they ate at the cafe was wearing off, so Vincent decided to take them somewhere to eat.

As she continued to follow in silence, taking in her surroundings carefully, Kitsune took the time to see what the others were doing. Unsurprisingly, Zephyr had assimilated almost immediately and was casually chatting with Vincent. After the oddness of their initial introductions, Fen and Elaine seemed to get along quite well after learning that both practised similar martial art styles, and were explaining different techniques to one another as they stood beside her. Arden was walking in step with her on her left, however, Alexis was still attached to him, something that continued to irk the Fox Faunus, but Kitsune had to admit that she was curious as to what her relationship was with the spectacled teen, who seemed unfazed by how close she was to him.

As the pair began to walk a little further ahead, Alexis saying she wanted to ask her brother something, Kitsune failed to spot that she had been noticed by Fen, who paused his conversation with Elaine and commented.

'So, you interested in Bro?' He said, smirking as he did so, and causing the orange-haired girl to snap her head in his direction with a glare. 'I'm just kidding, no need to get so defensive over it.'

Kitsune wasn't buying it, but before she could say anything, Elaine voiced something that had been on her mind since that morning. 'What exactly is the relationship between those two?'

For some reason, Kitsune was curious, yet desired not to hear Fen's response, but surprisingly, she found what he said next caused her to feel alleviated.

'Arden's sort of like her second big brother.' Fen explained. 'You guys may not know this considering that he rarely bothers to speak about himself, but Arden is actually the eldest child of ten.' That revelation almost caused the girls jaws to drop. Fen chuckled at their reaction. 'It's true. And even though he doesn't look it, he's quite overprotective, and that over-protectiveness sorta extends to his friends.' Fen smirked. 'Everyone back at Lyon knew better than to mess with his family, but that didn't stop a few from trying.' Fen chuckled. 'I know it didn't stop me.'

Kitsune and Elaine raised a brow at the Wolf Faunus admission, and the Fox Faunus girl asked. 'What do you mean?'

Fen thought for a moment, thinking if he should say anything, but considering they were Arden's team-mates, he saw no reason not to. 'Well, when I was nine, I was a pretty big bully. I would tease and beat up anybody I didn't like; Human, Faunus, it didn't matter. I was also pretty strong for my age, and would lash out at those older than me. I thought I was invincible. However, one day, I made the mistake of teasing Arden's little sister, causing her to cry.' Fen gave a sheepish grin and rubbed his jaw with his left hand as he recalled a ten year old Arden sending him sprawling to the ground with a well placed punch. 'Let's just say he took me down a couple of pegs after that.'

_That's interesting._ Kitsune thought.

'Wait, then what's up with calling him 'Brother' and everything?' Elaine asked, wondering how you go from being beaten up by someone to calling them brother.

'Because I'm an orphan. I never knew my real mum and dad, and ran away from the orphanage I was put in as soon as I was able. That was when I was four, and until I was nine I fended for myself.'

Kitsune and Elaine stayed silent, though the Lioness was feeling more than a little guilty. 'But.' Fen smiled as he looked over at Arden, who was looking rather bored with the whole affair. 'That changed after I met him.' The two girls listened intently as Fen explained. 'After our initial encounter, I ended up hounding him to fight me again. I was quite stubborn about it, and even followed him to his home and refused to leave.' The girls had to admit that that sounded a little creepy. 'However...'

* * *

_'Fight me!'_

_'No.'_

_'Fight me!'_

_'No.'_

_'Fight me damnit!'_

_'No.' _

_Fen was enraged as the older boy continued to ignore his request for a rematch and walked into the house, not bothering to close the door as the Wolf Faunus entered nonchalantly. _

_I__t was quite an odd arrangement._

_As Fen refused to leave on the first day, and Arden's parents had an issue with the child sleeping outside as it began to get dark, they had actually rearranged the house and provided him with a room to stay and even three meals a day. At first, Fen had been suspicious, but his stomach eventually won out over his will and he accepted. This arrangement had been going on for the past three weeks, and the Cross Family had quickly adapted to the presence of the Wolf Faunus._

_'Dinner time!' Mrs. Cross called, and very soon, the dining room was filled with the residents of the house. _

_'Thanks.' Fen said as he accepted the plate of well cooked curry from the houses primary chief. _

_Mrs. Cross smiled in response and ushered him to join the others at the table. With plate in hand, Fen made his way over to his seat, which was between a Dog and Cat Faunus, separating the two from the argument they were having. They weren't there by accident, as Fen had quickly learnt on his first night here that the Cross Family was weird. _

_Mr. Cross, Mrs. Cross, Arden, and the youngest, Anya, were all human, and the rest of the family was comprised of Faunus of various kinds. At first, Fen had believed that he had been tricked, and that the Cross family was some kind of Faunus slave ring, but he quickly learnt that that wasn't the case. All the Faunus kids vouched for their parents sincerity and genuine love, and even addressed them as such. Even if they weren't related by blood, they were a family, and both the Humans and Faunus cared for each other as such. Fen would admit that their testimony about them is what gave him that final push to stay, and he found that what they said about the Humans was true. _

_Fen shook his head and returned to his previous task at staring down Arden, who was busily enjoying his mothers cooking. Fen had to admit that that was the most he had ever seen the ten-year old move. Mr. Cross called it the "Curry Effect". _

_'Fight me!'_

_'No.' he said between mouthfuls. _

_'Fight me!'_

_'No.'_

_Fen slammed the tabletop in frustration, causing the wood to splinter and the loud chatter to die down. 'Why wont you fight me!'_

_Mrs. Cross was going to intervene, but her husband stopped her, waiting to see how Arden would respond, and he wasn't disappointed. _

_The purple-eyed ten year old tilted his head to the side and looked at Fen oddly. _

_'Isn't it obvious?'_

_Fen clenched his fist and snarled, awaiting some arrogant taunt or boast..._

_'It's because you're family, and I don't fight family.'_

_Fen froze, his face expressionless, but inside it was like he was engulfed by a fire that continued to burn at his heart, bringing up an emotion the he believed was long since buried; Hope. Hope for a life better than the one he had been living, hope for something...like a family._

_'But...but I'm not...' _

_'Yes you are.' interrupted Carla and Rene, the Squirrel Faunus twins. _

_'That's right.' agreed Martin the Mouse Faunus, whose usually soft spoken and timid speech had been replaced by one of absolute confidence and certainty. 'You're our Brother.'_

_'Yup!' exclaimed Bradley, the Dog Faunus sitting to his left. _

_'I gotta agree with Dog breath over there.' nodded Claire the Cat Faunus, who always had that uncanny way of insulting a person in the most polite way possible. 'You're one of us.'_

_'I've already been telling my friends about my Wolf Faunus big brother.' said Leona shyly, pulling her Rabbit ears over her face in an attempt to hide her embarrassment._

_'Wow...there are ten of us now!' Said Derrick, the Deer Faunus eyes widening in amazement as he said it._

_'Fen get!' Anya shouted, causing Arden to roll his eyes and mutter something about 'too many video games.'_

_Fen looked around the table, at the eyes of the occupants, full of sincerity and with no hint of malice or deceit, but love. Then at the parents, whose eyes displayed the same. But he was still hesitant, having a family was something he never expected to happen, and to have it handed to him like this, with people so warm, kind and inviting, seemed to good to be true. Nobody wanted him, his real parents had thrown him out the first moment they could. He was overlooked by those looking for a child at the orphanage. Those who he had considered trustworthy always left him in the end because he 'wasn't worth it'. So this couldn't have been real. This was a dream, but one he was dreadfully hoping was a reality. _

_Fen felt a hands clasp onto his shoulder and turned to find Mr. Cross staring at him with a fatherly smile._

_'Fen, a family is not bound by matters of blood alone, for blood will only get you so far. It is by the love and care they have toward one another, and that willingness to accept each other regardless of who they are.' _

_'That's right.' Said Mrs. Cross, leaning down till she was eye level. 'This is no dream.' Mrs. Cross embraced Fen, surprising the Wolf Faunus. 'You're part of our family now. Son.'_

_That was the breaking point. Fen couldn't keep it in any longer, and for the first time since he could remember... _

_He began to cry._

* * *

Kitsune and Elaine took in every word that Fen had told them. His camaraderie and familiarity around Arden suddenly made sense, even if it was unexpected. His story had taken up a lot more time then expected, and they were quickly approaching yet another Cafe that Vincent led them too to eat.

'So Arden is your brother?' Elaine said, phrasing it as a question as she couldn't hide how odd it sounded.

'Yep.' Fen said proudly. 'Though not by blood, he's my brother nonetheless.'

'Then why do you have a different surname?'

Fen waved it off. 'That's a story for another day.'

'Why tell us all that?' Kitsune asked, believing that there was some ulterior motive for Fen telling that story. It didn't make sense for someone to tell a person they just met such private information.

'Because I want you guys to know that Arden isn't like most humans you're familiar with.' Fen admitted. 'I mean, you don't have to immediately love humanity in general. I still run into racist bigots, but Arden isn't like them.' Fen gave a slight grin as he walked into the Cafe. 'So if you just give him a chance, you'll find he isn't that bad.' On that note, Fen entered.

Elaine followed and so did Kitsune, but the Fox Faunus girl had a lot on her mind. It all sounded unbelievable to her. A family of Human and Faunus. Humans that cared for Faunus and treated them like their own. If Kitsune hadn't heard it straight from the horses mouth, she wouldn't have believed it.

'Not all humans are bad.' She muttered lightly, recalling her mothers words. Shaking her head, she entered the Cafe.

* * *

It didn't take long for the group to find a seat. Even if there were four Faunus in the group, the staff showed no sign of discomfort or reluctance in getting them a booth. Vincent had explained that this Cafe was one of the few that employed Faunus, and that the staff had been carefully selected as to ensure that discrimination was kept to a minimum in the workplace.

After taking their seats, the group looked over the menus and placed their order. However, after the waitress had left, Vincent realised he had forgotten something and had left the table to go and order it at the counter. Though a lot of people were going to allow the Royal Guard to pass to the front, Vincent's vehement refusal quelled their actions. So while he waited patiently, he was unaware that he was missing a rather amusing event at the table.

'Is he dead?' Elaine asked, poking the head of the teen with a fork as it lay unmoving on the table.

'No, he's just sleeping.' Fen said, amused.

'Seriously?' questioned Zephyr, as he began to balance the various utensils on top of his head.

'Yep.' Confirmed Fen as he joined the Hawk Faunus in his game. 'Today probably took a lot out of him, so he'll be out cold for the next ten, twenty minutes.' He explained as he balanced a cup on top of a fork.

'Um, should you guys really be doing this?' Elaine asked as she balanced a plate on top of a spoon.

'It's fine.' Fen assured. 'As long as he's asleep, we're good.'

While the three teens began to stack more and more items atop the sleeping teens head (breaking several laws of physics as they did so) Kitsune was staring at Alexis, which made the blonde girl uncomfortable.

'Um...' Alexis started, trying to find out why she was being stared at. She had never been good at meeting new people, and it was only because Arden informed her that his Faunus team-mates were good people that she was willing to give them a chance. But, what Arden failed to tell her was that a certain Fox Faunus could look rather intimidating. 'Is there something on my face?'

Kitsune continued to stare at her in silence, causing Alexis to become even more uncomfortable, resulting in her gripping Arden's sleeve once more. Kitsune noticed this, and her eye twitched in irritation. 'Why do you keep doing that?'

Though Alexis was confused that this was the first thing that came out of her mouth, she decided to grasp onto this opportunity. 'W-what do you mean?'

Kitsune pointed to Arden's sleeve. 'That. You're always latching on to his sleeve.'

Alexis tilted her head to the side in confusion, before looking at Arden's arm and realising what she was doing. She quickly let go and looked down in embarrassment. 'S-sorry its a habit I've had since I was little.'

'A habit?' Kitsune asked, interested.

Alexis nodded. 'Yeah, whenever I was nervous or scared, I would grab on to Arden or Vincent. I thought I would've outgrown it, but I guess I haven't.' Alexis gave a soft smile, surprising Kitsune. 'To me, Arden is a precious person.'

For some reason, Kitsune felt that odd feeling from that morning once more. 'I see...' was all she could say without giving away anything.

Thankfully, Alexis didn't notice here off putting manner. She was feeling a little more comfortable now, and was going to continue, when some unsavoury characters entered the Cafe. Alexis recognised one of them as Reginald Galahad, son of Lamorak Galahad, and the most pretentious bastard she ever had the displeasure of meeting.

The three Ex-Beacon students noticed the change in the atmosphere of the Cafe, as the chatter died down and everyone became noticeably uncomfortable. Zephyr noticed how Fen began to glare at the dark-haired, handsome teen as he strut about like he owned the place, making his way towards the table they were currently sitting. Elaine immediately took a dislike to the teen and the three others accompanying him. Kitsune didn't bother acknowledging their presence. Arden was still sleeping with a tower of utensils on his head and Vincent had decided to hide his presence, waiting to see what he knew would be an amusing outcome.

Reginald stopped in front of the table where Arden and the others sat, and had his eyes completely locked on Alexis.

'Hello my dear.' He said, his tone of voice sending shivers up everyones spines. 'Funny seeing you here.'

Fen snarled at the dark-haired teen, taking his attention off Alexis. 'What do you want Reginald?'

Reginald's face contorted into a hideous expression of fury. 'I wasn't speaking to you, mutt! Why don't you make yourself useful and fetch me and my friends a drink.'

Fen wasn't the least bit frightened. 'Fetch it yourselves, I have more of a right to be here than you ever will.'

Reginald scoffed. 'Bah! You and your kind are nothing but vermin!' Reginald's friends moved over to different tables occupied by Faunus customers and began to pick at the food or overturn tables completely. 'If it were my call, I would have all of you stripped and thrown to the Grimm as fodder.'

Kitsune, Elaine and Zephyr were disgusted, but they were also confused as to why no one was doing anything. The occupants seemed hesitant to act, as if there was some unseen force or influence that was keeping them from acting. The Beacon students didn't understand it, but Vincent did. Reginald was the son of one of the Royal Guard, whose reputation and strength caused those to fear any reparations should they act against his son. In all honesty, Vincent was just as disgusted at the teens behaviour as the Faunus were, and was itching to do something, but had decided that his role for now was that of an observer.

Besides, what he was waiting for was about to happen as a small Faunus child approached Reginald.

'P-please Mister.' All the adults were horrified as they saw the ten-year old rabbit Faunus approach. 'C-can you stop?'

Reginald ignored the child, causing her to tug on his shirt. This turned out to be the wrong choice as Reginald glared at her and brushed her off, causing her to fall to the ground and graze her elbows. 'Don't touch me filth!' He shouted, the mixture of pain and hurtful words causing the Rabbit Faunus to cry.

This Beacon students were about to intervene at that moment, and almost flew into a blind rage when Reginald and his friends began to point and laugh. However, they were stopped when Arden's head shot up off the table, causing the various utensils that had been precariously balanced on his head to fall everywhere with loud crashing and clanging sounds. The amount of noise gained everyones attention, and all eyes where on the spectacled teen as he looked around in confusion.

Arden's eyes eventually landed on the Rabbit Faunus, and the spectacled teen got off his seat and made his way over to her. Crouching down, he came to her eye level and gave her a warm smile, catching her off guard and calming her down somewhat.

'Are you okay?'

The Rabbit Faunus nodded, and Arden helped her to her feet as he stood back up. The girl didn't seem so sad or frightened anymore, but he was confused as to how this situation came about in the first place. Looking around, he frowned as he saw the damage to the place.

'Hey, look at this Reginald. A Faunus sympathiser!'

Arden glanced at the teen who spoke before looking in the direction of the one he was speaking to, and his eyes locked on Reginald.

_He's probably the boss._

Reginald looked at the weak-looking teen in brown and sneered. 'Bah! Another one? You people are traitors to humanity! Siding with those beasts.' Reginald directed his sneer to the Rabbit Faunus currently hiding behind Arden. 'That filth isn't even fit to be in my presence. If I had my way, her and her kind would all be penned up and thrown to-'

Reginald was promptly interrupted by Arden's fist as it planted into his face and sent him flying out the window.

Everyone gawked at the scene.

Reginald Galahad had just been punched through a window. Reginald's accomplices froze when Arden looked at them. The spectacled teen gave them an unerring grin.

'Run.'

Reginald's entourage complied rather quickly, running outside, grabbing their leader, then putting as much distance between them and Arden as possible. When they were gone, Arden glanced down at the Rabbit Faunus and gave her a light pat on the head, before returning to his seat. As he sat down, he immediately placed his head on the table and fell back to sleep.

An awkward silence ensued.

Then Vincent cracked up laughing.

* * *

Raymond was confused when he finally met up with the members of Team KAZE and Vincent's crew at the park.

Firstly, the Royal Guard and Hawk Faunus were attempting to stifle their laughter and failing badly.

Secondly, the Fox Faunus was currently glaring at the spectacled teen with her dark aura showing. Arden himself, at a glance, looked unaffected, but upon closer inspection, he was shaking a little.

Lastly, the Blonde-girl and Wolf Faunus were being pestered with questions from the Lioness Faunus regarding some event that had taken place during lunch.

_It looks like I missed something._ Raymond thought as he approached them. It was about two, but strangely enough, the park was empty, and the group had gathered around the fountain in the center.

Vincent finally didn't bother trying to stop himself from laughing, and the noise filled the park and irritated his spectacled friend, who had been subjected to nothing but questions from Kitsune ever since he woke up regarding what happened at the Cafe.

As usual, he couldn't be bothered answering, and had opted for dignified silence as the group left the Cafe. Kitsune wouldn't let the matter drop, and Vincent could tell that Arden was becoming flustered by the Fox Faunus as she unconsciously closed the distance between them, something that confused him. When Zephyr had shown him the picture of Arden sleeping on Kitsune's lap, and the video footage of what happened when Arden woke up, Vincent was beaming with mischief. Even he hadn't seen Arden act like that before, and couldn't help but find his reactions overly entertaining.

Vincent finally calmed down and noticed Raymond. Giving a small nod and a wave, Vincent greeted him as he approached. 'Hello Mr. Frost. I'm glad you got my message.'

'Indeed.' Raymond raised a brow at the group, most of whom were still continuing what they were doing. 'I must say that I am quite surprised. It seems like the tour has ended quite abruptly.'

Vincent nodded, understanding where Raymond was coming from. 'Yeah, a couple of things happened.' Vincent started, before explaining what happened during lunch.

Raymond nodded in understanding. 'I see.'

Vincent gave a sheepish grin. 'Yeah, so I thought it would be best if-'

Vincent stopped talking and his expression hardened as he felt a familiar and currently unwelcome presence approach. Vincent clicked his tongue. 'Too late.'

Raymond nodded grimly and turned his head to the left, eyes locked on a mature man dressed in armour and carrying an _Arbadant Dust Cannon Lance_ in his hand and approaching the group with a dark look. Everyone's attention was drawn to the figure, and Vincent could see from the corner of his eye that Kitsune was reaching to a pouch on her thigh that most likely contained her weapon, but Arden wisely restrained her, much to her confusion.

Vincent regarded the man carefully. He had worked with Lamorak Galahad as part of his duty as a Royal Guard, and the mans reputation as the strongest was well earned. The imposing man reached the group in several long, powerful strides, and towered over the spectacled teen he stood in front of. The Royal Guard looked down upon Arden, and the teen himself was confused as to who this man was and what he was doing here. Without warning, the man grabbed Arden by the collar and lifted him up into the air, startling the others and causing Vincent to draw his handgun and aim it at the older mans head.

'Put him down Lamorak.' Vincent warned, prepared to use force if necessary.

Lamorak turned his glare towards Vincent. 'Keep out of this Vincent.' He replied, addressing the teen by his name as a sign of recognising his strength. 'I have business with him.'

Vincent was worried. Usually he could reason with the man, but not when he was like this. He glanced over at the others, hoping none of them would get involve as it would only make the situation worse. It looked like everyone was-

_Wait. Where's Kitsune?!_

The Fox Faunus had disappeared, but Vincent didn't have to wonder where to as a thin metal wire wrapped itself around Lamorak's neck and the young woman appeared behind him.

Kitsune's eyes were as cold as steel, and her voice even colder. 'Release him at once or I'll snap your neck.'

Kitsune's action stunned everyone, most of all herself. She would never have imagined herself doing something like this, but she felt compelled to do so. Honestly, she didn't know or understand the reason, but after hearing Fen's story, she had considered giving Arden a chance. A chance to show her that he was different, but he couldn't do that if he was in trouble like that.

Besides, she still had to return his journal.

Lamorak wasn't fazed. Instead, he slowly turned his head in the direction of the Fox Faunus girl and scowled. With his free hand, he aimed his lance at the girl. The barrelled end of the lance began to charge a shot. Sensing the danger, Kitsune was about to move out of the way, but found herself unable to.

It was like she had been glued to the spot by some unseen force, and it didn't take her long to realise that the armoured man was the cause. Her heart began to beat faster as she stared down the barrel of the lance. Lamorak smirked as he pressed a button on the handle and fired the shot. Kitsune and the others watched in horror.

Thankfully, Vincent managed to get her out.

Using his Semblance, Vincent created a portal and transported himself behind Kitsune. Grabbing the girl, he managed to break the hold that Lamorak had over her and jumped back through the portal before closing it.

After placing the girl safely near her friends after exiting the portal, Vincent created another one and appeared in front of Lamorak, a fire burning in his eyes. 'What do you think you're doing?!'

Lamorak simply scoffed at the younger member of the Royal Guard, and turned his head back in the direction of the spectacled teen in his hand. When he did, he noticed something off. The teen hadn't panicked in the slightest, which Lamorak found strange. Secondly, the teens right hand was clasped around Lamorak's wrist, and seemed to be glowing with a snow-white hue. Finally the teen spoke, unfazed by his circumstance.

'Apologize.' He said, the word coming off more as a command then anything else. 'Apologize to Kitsune.'

Lamorak sneered at the boy, but found himself respecting him just a bit for his gall. 'You do not give me orders, boy. You have to answer for insulting my family.'

'I don't give a damn.'

Lamorak threw the spectacled teen away from him on instinct. Just in time too as the teens arm encased itself in ice to form a giant claw, which would've frozen Lamorak's arm if he wasn't careful.

In a surprising display of agility, Arden back flipped in the air, landed on his feet, and dashed forward, transforming the claw into a lance and thrusting it at the much larger man.

Unfortunately for Arden, Lamorak was much more accustomed to battle than those on the train last night, and easily recovered from the surprising turn of events and thrust Lancelot at the ice spear, shattering it easily.

Arden was undeterred, but was stopped as Vincent and Raymond intervened.

The Royal Guard fired a shot between the two, separating them as the bullet hit the ground and formed a large crater. Taking this chance, Raymond traced a lin with his arm, creating a wall of aura that separated them completely.

'That is quite enough!' Raymond declared, the finality in his voice causing the Royal Guard and Hunter-in-Training to cease their actions, but the pair still glared at each other. Raymond dispersed the wall and walked in front of Arden, acting as a shield of sorts. 'Sir Galahad! This behaviour is completely unbecoming of a Hunter, especially one of your stature! And absolutely unforgivable for a member of the Royal Guard!'

The teens were surprised that this man was a member of the Royal Guard, but when considering the display of strength and the sheer amount of power this man was currently emitting. Kitsune just then grasped the severity of her previous situation. If Vincent hadn't been around to save her, then she would definitely have been killed. However, that was overshadowed by what she had just witnessed.

_Arden can fight?!_ Kitsune had always wondered how Arden ended up in Beacon. She had never seen him do anything indicating he had any skills becoming of a Hunter. Yet in the past minute she had been proven otherwise. _Also, what's up with that ice? Is that part of his Semblance?_ Kitsune's eyes went wide. _Wait a second. What the hell is his Semblance?!_ Kitsune glanced over at Arden's childhood friends. Fen and Alexis seemed confused, as if it was the first time they had seen him do something like that. Vincent's reaction was different. His expression indicated concern and disapproval; meaning he had known Arden could do this but didn't approve of it.

Kitsune wondered what that meant, but had no time to dwell on it as Lamorak began to speak.

'Raymond Frostbite.' Everyone noticed the tone of respect that Lamorak addressed the man with. 'I do not know why you are here, but I have a score to settle with that boy.'

Raymond frowned. 'Though that may be the case, violence will not resolve-'

'That boy has insulted my families honour.' Lamorak interrupted. 'He has offended my ancestors and reparations must be made.'

Raymond sighed internally. He knew there would be no dissuading Lamorak when he was like this. 'Then what do you propose?' He asked carefully, hoping beyond hope that Lamorak wouldn't suggest what he knew he would.

Lamorak gave a malicious grin, and shot a look at the spectacled teen. 'A duel. For insulting my family name and spitting on the graves of my ancestors we shall duel.'

Raymond was confused. Though he could understand that Arden may have insulted the Galahad Family honour by humiliating his son, the things regarding Lamorak's ancestors made no sense. Raymond was going to bring up the point, but was unable to when Arden interrupted.

'When?'

Everyone shot the spectacled teen a stunned look. Arden knew he was going to regret this later, but the fact remained he had already displayed he had some fighting ability, so was there really any point in hiding it from them any longer? Besides, this guy was starting to piss him off. Arden didn't really care when people were mad at him (considering he wasn't concious most of the time) but he drew the line at involving others.

Lamorak smirked at the teen. 'You decide. I am an honourable man and will allow you as much-'

'Now.'

Lamorak stared at the teen incredulously, and every jaw dropped (save for Vincent, who understood that Arden could be pretty stubborn at times). Lamorak clicked his tongue and gave a slight grin. 'Well you certainly aren't lacking in confidence.' Lamorak turned his head towards Raymond. 'Take him to the arena. I shall meet him there.'

The Royal Guard then walked off in the direction of the arena while the group was still trying to regain their bearings. Unbeknownst to both parties, their meeting had been observed by a certain Rabbit Faunus under the order of the Princess. Colleen felt bad about doing this, lying to the Royal Guard by saying that his Families tomb had been desecrated by a spectacled teen in brown. She had no idea that his son had actually gotten into a scuffle with the same spectacled teen, which had succeeded in only making her story more believable. Though the Rabbit Faunus was surprised by what she had just witnessed Arden do, she would keep it out of her report.

After all, the Princess didn't need to know everything.

* * *

_**Now...**_

* * *

Kitsune rolled her eyes as she recalled everything that happened.

_That's right, that's how it happened, and afterwards, Arden picked up his weapon and made his way here_. Kitsune shook her head in annoyance. All day she had some uncomfortable feeling going on and all day she was finding herself more confused by the spectacled teen. Especially what had happened only a couple of hours before the duel began.

The more she thought on it, she knew very little about Arden. In the few months since he had been in her team, the most she had ever learnt of him came from today. For some reason, that made her feel horrible. Kitsune shook it off. It didn't matter now. Self pity led nowhere, and all she could do is observe.

'Will Arden be okay?'

Kitsune looked over at Alexis who was staring at her brother with desperate, pleading eyes. The Fox Faunus wasn't the only one. Everyone was looking at him, hoping that he would be able to provide a glimmer of hope.

Vincent gave a small smile and pat his sister on the head.

'Arden will be fine.' He assured her (meaning that he believed his friend wouldn't be killed).

'How can you be so sure?' Fen asked, scared for his brothers safety.

Vincent gave a large grin, and what he said next caused the group to watch the scene of the two in the arena with a new perspective.

'I have never once beaten Arden in a fight.'


	12. The Duel, an Angel, and a Request

Arden dashed forward, trying to close the distance between himself and Lamorak as quickly as possible.

The Royal Guard was not going to give him that pleasure. Taking aim, he fired off a single shot from _Lancelot_, a ball of swirling flame that only grew larger as it travelled.

Arden twirled _Lullaby_ in his hand and threw the Falchion far off to the side, pinning it into the ground, and yanked himself towards the the blade, dodging the fireball. However, neither of the fighters were spared from the effects of the massive ball of flame as it came into contact with the arena wall and exploded, covering the stage in a thin layer of smoke.

The stage was silent for a moment, then all of a sudden the sound of steel against steel could be heard. The spectators watched the scene anxiously as the smoke slowly dispersed. At first, the two fighters appeared as shadows; silhouettes against the backdrop of dust. Then little-by-little, as the smaller shadow continued to bounce towards and away from the larger shadow, the spectators were once more introduced to the battle. Arden was sporting a few recently gained bruises, but looked fine otherwise, and Lamorak's armour had been scratched in a few places but he was otherwise unharmed.

The Royal Guard batted the Hunter-in-Training away with his shield as Arden jumped forward once more. In order to lessen the impact, Arden quickly raised _Lullaby_ and placed his right arm underneath as a support. The impromptu shield managed to lessen the force, but not by much. Even if Arden was utilising his Semblance, the Royal Guard's strength was simply ridiculous, and the teen was still swatted away like a fly.

While in mid-air, Arden once again flipped back and landed on his feet before dashing forward. Already used to the pattern, Lamorak thrust his lance as he stepped forward. The force behind the movement seemed to distort the atmosphere itself as a huge gust of wind pushed Arden back.

Undeterred, the teen flipped back and threw _Lullaby_ directly into the earth. With the blade lodged tightly, Arden pulled himself towards it as the wind died down. Retrieving the blade and holding it with a reverse grip, Arden zigzagged towards and lunged at him.

Allowing his Semblance to manipulate his speed further, Arden managed to get within striking range and swung _Lullaby_ in a wide, circular motion.

Lamorak simply blocked the blow once more with his shield, and swatted Arden away and but as he did, the teen did something surprising.

Utilising the momentum of his previous attack with the leverage gained by Lamorak's shield, Arden pushed off the shield with his blade, sending him up-and-over Lamorak. While suspended in the air, the distance between Arden and Lamorak was minuscule, and Arden used that opportunity.

Twisting in the air, Arden used his Semblance to harden the armoured plating of _Ephialtes_ while increasing his strength and swung his arm like a hammer. The strange and sudden nature of the attack managed to catch the Royal Guard off guard, and the blow connected and caused him to stumble back.

Lamorak was still for a moment as he processed what had just happened. He slowly raised his hand to his jaw and felt a familiar sensation.

Pain.

Lamorak looked over at his opponent. The teen had been staring at him with a steady gaze. His hair was noticeably more dishevelled and unkempt than usual, and his clothes were covered in dust and bore tears here and there, but those eyes that flickered ever so slightly with defiance and determination only served to give him a wild and almost animalistic appearance.

Lamorak smiled. Even if this teen had desecrated his families graves, the Royal Guard could certainly respect anybody who could land a blow on him in such a fashion. The smile was replaced by a toothy grin as the teen dashed towards him, and for the first time, the Royal Guard responded in kind.

Dashing towards Arden, the Royal Guard was like a rampaging bull, kicking up dirt and dust with his single horn aimed at his target. His powerful legs hammered against the ground and his steps were the sound of crashing thunder.

Arden continued to run towards his opponent, lowering himself as to force the Royal Guard to have a harder target to hit.

Lamorak understood what the teen was doing, but showed no intention of stopping his frontal assault. Instead, he angled his lance slightly downwards, and put as much strength into the attack as possible when the two fighters entered each others striking range.

Of course, Lamorak's range was longer, and his attack hit first. Thrusting _Lancelot_, Arden only just managed to avoid being pierced by the weapon, before he was sent flying back by the shockwave born from the attack.

The tip of _Lancelot_ struck the earth; splintering the ring like wood, and once again the arena become shrouded in a thick layer of smoke. The only visible thing to the spectators were the tips of several large pieces of earth that jutted out of the ground. They once more found themselves in the position of anxiously waiting for the smoke to disperse. A few of them wished to step in and call this duel to a close, but all were stopped by Vincent and Raymond.

The Royal Guard and Butler had insight on this duel that the others lacked. Vincent, who had an understanding of both fighters abilities, and Raymond, whose expectations had already been exceeded regarding Arden, knew that this fight was far from over.

With both individuals controlling the situation, none of the Hunters and Huntress'-in-Training moved despite their protests, and continued to watch the scene with anxious eyes.

Meanwhile, Lamorak had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Trusting his instincts, the Royal Guard swung his lance in a circular motion, the force of which caused the smoke surrounding him to be completely blown away, clearing the arena.

He observed his handiwork.

The once flat and even surface of the ring was no more. Save for the spot on which he stood, the ring had been turned into a field of spikes and jagged rock. The destruction caused by this attack was insurmountable, and would mean certain death for any that stood in its way.

So he wondered; why did he use it? Looking over his creation, with the teen seemingly nowhere in sight, he knew that he would usually never have used so much of his strength against one outside of the Royal Guard, yet he had just done so.

As he was lost in thought, it was only due to his battle hardened instinct that he raised his shield. However, he was stunned to find himself pushed back by the sheer force behind the blow which, while not equivalent to his own strength, was still comparable with that of one of the weaker members of the Royal Guard.

Jumping back and creating some distance between his attacker, Lamorak peered over his shield. Standing there, with his right arm crackling like lightning, stood Arden Cross. However, something about him was different, something that caused Lamorak to grin in excitement and realise why he had been putting so much effort into this fight.

Arden's eye colour had changed from a dull amethyst to a shining diamond in colour.

_This kid is interesting!_

* * *

_This is where the real fight begins._ Vincent thought when he saw that Arden had activated _Ephialtes_.

'Five minutes...' He murmured, causing the others to throw him a questioning look. 'The next five minutes will ultimately decide the outcome of this match.'

'What do you mean?' Zephyr asked. 'Arden's been putting up a good fight and all, but it's clear to me that that Lamorak guy is a helluva lot stronger than he is.'

As if in response to his question, the arena began to resound with the sound of battle once more. The spectators looked back and watched amazement as Lamorak tore the earth with heavy strikes while Arden cut through the debris like paper, before striking him once more with his lightning covered arm, once more causing the Royal Guard to stumble back, only to compose himself and begin the battle anew.

To those watching, it was like witnessing lightning striking a mountainside, slowly whittling away the earth. Lamorak, his strikes strong and powerful. Arden, his movements swift and wild. After Arden managed to land yet another blow on the Royal Guard, sending a large electric shock that sent him flying, Elaine spoke up.

'Is...is that really Arden?' She looked at the others when she received no response and noticed that Kitsune and Zephyr were just as shocked as she was.

'Why so surprised?' Fen asked, taking his eyes away from the scene of Arden ducking under the Lance and countering with an uppercut. The Wolf Faunus then recalled his brothers habit of not doing anything if he didn't have to. 'Never mind. Forget I asked.' Fen looked back just in time to see Arden jump and land on Lancelot and slash at Lamorak. The Royal Guard managed to lean back, placing him out of reach of the blade, before swinging the lance to throw Arden off. The Hunter-in-Training's response was to jump back off the lance and dash forward as soon as his feet hit the ground. 'Damn, bro looks so cool when he fight's.'

The Ex-Beacon Students found themselves agreeing with the sentiment. Kitsune watched the battle in awe. She still couldn't comprehend that this was the same Arden that rarely did anything, and found herself growing frustrated.

_Damnit! Why is it that the more I learn about him the more questions are left then answers?!_

'Where'd he learn to fight?' Elaine questioned, watching as Arden was blown away by Lamorak, only to twist on the air and land on one of the large pillars of jagged rock, utilising it as a platform and shooting off it with a great amount of force. Lamorak managed to dodge as Arden's fist crashed into the ground, creating a small crater, before engaging Lamorak in combat once more. 'Scratch that. HOW THE HELL IS THAT ARDEN?! HAS HE ALWAYS BEEN THAT FREAKING STRONG?!'

Fen frowned at the Lioness Faunus. 'Weren't you listening to me before?' Elaine looked at him in confusion. Fen frowned. 'Remember how I told you that Arden is overprotective.' Elaine nodded, and the other Ex-Beacon students listened in with interest. 'Think about it for a moment. An overprotective older brother with a family full of younger, Faunus siblings; targets of constant discrimination.' Fen gave a small smile. 'Arden became strong because he wouldn't allow anyone to make his siblings cry.'

_There it is again_. Kitsune thought. _If I think about it, it explains a lot. Helping Amelia and that Rabbit Faunus girl. Does everything he do stem from him not wanting people to hurt his siblings?_

Kitsune could understand that. She often got into fights protecting her little brother and sister from bullies. _Maybe...we aren't too different._

Alexis couldn't help herself at that point and let out a small giggle. 'I bet a lot of people would be surprised to find out that '_The Sleeping Lion_' is just a doting older brother.'

'_The Sleeping Lion_.' Vincent repeated, expressing a fondness for the title. 'Now that takes me back.'

Alexis gave a small smile and Fen grinned. The title had originally been used as a joke by Vincent to describe Arden's overprotective tendencies to kick in whenever his siblings were in trouble, and how he would immediately fall back asleep after the trouble had been dealt with. It was an inside joke, but by the time Arden was fifteen, the name invoked both fear and respect to the various gangs surrounding the area of Lyon. 'Yeah...'

Elaine was confused, as was Kitsune, and the Lioness Faunus was going to ask more about the topic of Arden's title, when Zephyr interrupted her. 'Still, that doesn't explain how he's THAT strong.'

Zephyr pointed in the direction of the battle to prove his point. The stage looked like a war had taken place rather than a duel between two. The jagged spikes had been all but destroyed, replaced by craters that painted the battlefield. The only place that remained untouched was a small patch of earth were the combatants were currently engaged in battle, matching each other blow-for-blow. The two of them were sporting a lot more bruises at this point, but neither showed any sign of giving up. As _Lullaby_ and _Lancelot_ collided once more, beginning yet another power struggle between the two, Fen spoke.

'That's true.' Fen admitted. 'I've always known that Bro is strong, but never this strong.'

Vincent let out a low whistle as Arden won the dead lock and punched Lamorak once more, sending the Royal guard flying into the stadium wall.

'It's because of his Semblance.' The Royal Guard said with certainty. Kitsune's ears perked up at this and she listened intently as Vincent began to give the simple explanation of Arden's Semblance, using the balloon as an example. While he did this, Raymond was continually observing the fight.

_So this is the strength of an Ephialtes. The strength fight on equal terms with a Royal Guard. Not just any Royal Guard either, but Lamorak Galahad. I must inform Marcus of this later. _

'So Arden is essentially a cheat character then?' Zephyr suggested, believing the term to be fitting as Lamorak charged at Arden and locked weapons with him once more.

Vincent thought for a moment. 'Yes and no.' He said, only causing mass confusion. Vincent began to give a more detailed explanation as Arden and Lamorak broke their power struggle and jumped away from one another. Arden began to run as Lamorak fired round after round of Dust shots. 'The term **Potential** implies room for growth. Think of it as a scale of one-to-ten. The more you train in a certain field, the higher up you go on that scale. For example, athletes standing at the peak of their perspective sports would fall into an eight or nine, while those who train very little would stand at a three or four.'

'So it's sort of like a game character then?' Zephyr questioned. 'You know, start off at level one and as you level up your stats raise?'

Vincent nodded. 'It's similar. Arden's Semblance allows him to manipulate his place on that scale. If we go by your game character analogy, then Arden's Semblance would allow him to max out any single or all of his stats at any moment, in theory.'

'In theory?' Zephyr questioned as Arden managed to close the distance between him and Lamorak, forcing the Royal Guard to engage him in close combat once again.

Vincent nodded once more. 'Arden's Semblance has three restrictions, three laws if you will, that work together to prevent such a thing from occurring.'

'Three laws?' Questioned Kitsune, speaking up for the first time since the match began.

Vincent tilted his head to the side in confusion. 'Why so surprised? Didn't you guys receive the manual?'

'Manual?' The three Ex-Beacon students questioned simultaneously.

In response, Vincent reached into his pocket and produced a small, leather-bound journal. The cover of the journal caused all three Faunus to gape in surprise.

_Arden Cross Instruction Manual Version 3.2: The How to's of operating your Simple Sleepy idiot._

Vincent noticed their shock and shook his head. 'So you didn't get the manual.'

'Why the hell does he have a manual in the first place?' Elaine asked, still in shock.

Kitsune groaned. 'Never mind that.' She said, realising she could only take in so much confusing information in one day. 'Can we please get back onto the topic of the three laws?'

Elaine frowned at her friend, but refrained from saying anything when she noticed what she referred to as Kitsune's 'Leader face'. Her eyes were narrowed, her brows furrowed, and her manner indicated intense focus as her mind was storing away as much information as she could regarding Arden's combat abilities.

Though Vincent didn't understand the expression, he decided to speak anyway. 'Well the first law, is **The Law of Limitation**.'

Vincent directed their attention back towards the battle. When they did so, they saw Arden was again trading blows with Lamorak. '**The Law of Limitation**, as it implies, means that their is a limit to where Arden can raise his attributes. A person can only be so strong, so fast, and so agile. Arden's Semblance may allow him to reach the peaks of his physical performance, but he can not move beyond that and it also means that not all of his attributes will peak equally.'

Vincent stopped to see if they understood, and when they indicated they did, continued. 'The second law is, **The Law of Scale**.' He watched as Arden was pushed back by Lamorak and managed to regain his footing in time to dodge yet another trust and resumed the battle anew.

'Unlike the scale of one-to-ten that I mentioned before, Arden's Semblance works on a scale of negative ten-to-ten.' Kitsune momentarily took her eyes off the battle and raised a brow at Vincent, who began to explain. 'It's like with a balloon. You can fill it with a lot of air, making it larger, or take air out, making it smaller. Likewise, Arden can peak his physical attributes, or make them decline to a point where even a toddler could beat him without issue.'

'That...seems kinda pointless.' Zephyr stated, mystefied as he watched Arden manage to finally land a slash on the Royal Guard, leaving a small cut just above the mans brow.

'True, but I have known him to do something along those lines when he wants to fall asleep instantly.'

Zephyr sweatdropped at that, but it did explain a lot. 'So, The Law of Scale essentially refers to Arden's ability to manipulate himself on that -10-to-10 scale?' Zephyr reasoned.

'Yep, exactly.' Vincent nodded. He let out a small whistle as Arden was unable to block Lamorak's attack in time and was batted away to the other side of the field. Unlike the previous times, Arden didn't manage to land on his feet and was sent sprawling across the ground. Though he managed to get to his feet, it surprised most of those watching, save for Vincent.

'So it's finally kicked in.' He said.

Kitsune locked her eyes on Arden. Noticing for the first time since the battle began how haggard and beaten he looked, struggling to grasp for breath. Zephyr and Elaine noticed this too.

'What happened?' Fen asked, just as confused as the others. 'What's wrong with Arden?'

'It's the third law.' Vincent explained, just as concerned as Fen, concern which only grew as Arden moved in to attack once more. **'The Law of Restraint**.'

'The Law of Restraint?' Zephyr questioned, watching the scene before him with a worried expression.

Vincent nodded grimly. '**The Law of Restraint** is what dictates the previous two laws. It is what determines where Arden's physical abilities peak, and how quickly Arden can manipulate his place on the negative ten-to-ten scale. Right now, Arden is at his peak and can't take his abilities any further.' A dark look adorned Vincent's face. 'Which is a good thing, considering it's also what prevents Arden's Semblance from destroying him.'

The sound of battle seemed non-existent to the spectators as Vincent's admission resounded in their head.

'W-What do you mean?' Fen said, hoping that he had heard wrong.

Unfortunately, he hadn't.

'Arden's Semblance could destroy him.' He repeated, the words leaving a bad taste in his mouth. 'You all have too understand that the body was never designed to forcefully bring out an individuals latent abilities. The reason for this is self preservation. Our minds purposely suppresses our strength until our bodies are trained to deal with it. So that we do not potentially injure ourselves beyond repair. However, Arden's Semblance ignores this. It brings out as much of his latent abilities as possible until it reaches a certain point. Thankfully, this is where **The Law of Restraint** kicks in. So no matter how much he tries and forces his Semblance to move beyond that point, it won't. On a subconscious level, Arden's mind prevents his Semblance from moving beyond that point that could result in deadly consequences.'

Fen dreaded to ask, but felt that he needed to know exactly how much his older brother was risking in this fight. 'What sort of consequences?'

Vincent remained silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts, before speaking. What he said caused almost everyone to cry out in shock.

'Loss of sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch. Loss of higher and lower motor functions. Loss of muscles and limbs. Loss of higher and lower cognitive functions. Organ failure. Muscle and bone decay. And in the most extreme case, death.'

Fen couldn't find the words to express how he felt and slumped back in his chair with glazed eyes. Alexis looked at her brother and didn't know how to take the news. If Vincent knew that Arden's Semblance could results in this, why did he let him fight?

The three beacon students had their own thoughts. All of which was summarised nicely by Zephyr.

'WHAT THE HELL?! WE NEED TO STOP THIS FIGHT NOW!'

Kitsune, Elaine, Fen and Alexis were all in agreement. When they were about to leave, however, Vincent stopped them.

'Don't.' He said, standing in front of them all.

Fen glared at the blonde-haired teen. 'Don't? WHAT DO YOU MEAN DON'T?! MY BROTHER, YOUR BEST FRIEND, IS FREAKING DESTROYING HIMSELF RIGHT NOW AND YOU WANT US TO STAY PUT?!'

Vincent's response was a stone cold stare that froze everyone in their tracks. Kitsune, Elaine, and Zephyr felt a pressure exuding from the man that caused their hair to stand on end and their fight-or-flight response was kicked into overdrive.

'I don't like it.' Vincent said, glancing over his shoulder to see Arden and Lamorak standing at opposite ends of the Arena. 'But I trust Arden.'

Vincent smiled, and that terrifying pressure simply vanished, though the Beacon students knew it was there. 'That guy, no matter what, wont be destroyed over something like this. Besides, weren't you guys listening? **The Law of Restraint** prevents those things from occurring. So the worse we have to deal with is muscle fatigue and extreme tiredness.' Vincent didn't tell the entire truth at the end. Fatigue and tiredness were just two, he purposely left out the fat that his veins and arteries could burst, if only to give the teens piece of mind.

The teens dwelled on his words for a moment and reluctantly sat back down. Vincent thanked and sat down alongside them. Checking his wrist watch, Vincent noted that their was only one minute left of the five minute period he had mentioned earlier.

Outwardly he seemed fine, but he was just as anxious as the others were.

The five minutes he had spoken about was in relation to Arden activating _Ephialtes_.

As Arden's body acted as the power source for his elemental attacks, it drained him of his energy at a quick pace. Combine this with the stress placed upon him by his Semblance, it would strain Arden's body immensely. Not to the point of death, but definitely somewhere close. So Vincent had decided that, as soon as five minutes had passed, he would stop the battle.

_Now, only one minute till-hmm?_

Vincent stopped his train of thought as he noticed that neither combatant had moved from their perspective spots. His gaze drifted between them.

Lamorak had lowered his body and was preparing to charge. His aura had begun to form thin streams that wrapped itself around _Lancelot_ in layers; till the grey of the lance was replaced by a burning red. The earth around the Royal Guard began to melt, and the very air that surrounded him seemed to tremble. The Veteran of the Royal Guard had dents all over his armour, and bruises and cuts here and there, but the youngest Royal Guard was more focused on what Lamorak was doing.

It was a technique that he usually reserved for only the most dangerous of Grimm and the Royal Guard.

_Why the hell is he using that?!_ He thought, but prevented himself from moving. A hard task, which eventually became easier when he saw what Arden was doing.

The Hunter-in-Training had responded by holding _Lullaby_ in both hands. He was bruised, battered, and bleeding, but showed no intention of giving up just yet. Through experience, Vincent understood the action, and to those watching, they witnessed something they never thought possible.

_Lullaby_ began to sing.

* * *

It wasn't truly a song. It was simply the sound of the metal resonating with the electrical current of _Ephialtes_ as the lightning began to surge through the blade, eventually enveloping it in a pale blue light that crackled and sparked. The sound that it created was not at all unpleasant. Quite the opposite; it was as calming as it was beautiful, and when Arden moved the blade ever so slightly to get into a two handed sword battle stance, _Lullaby_ produced different sounds.

The song seemed to increase in volume as Arden poured more and more energy into it; till the blade was like still lightning, contained only by the strength of its wielder.

_This should be enough...I hope._ Though Arden never let his gaze drift from his opponent, he couldn't help but sigh on the inside. His body felt like it was going to fall apart at any moment. Hell, what he was planning to do now was simply a desperation tactic to end this fight before he got any worse! _I really should have thought this plan out better..._

Arden dashed towards Lamorak as the Royal Guard began his charge.

* * *

To those watching, it all happened so quickly, but for the two combatants, it was like everything had occurred in slow motion.

The fighters met in the center of the arena for what was to be the last exchange of blows between the two.

Both had realised that the techniques that they were currently using were designed to end the battle with a single strike.

Lamorak's lance was a torrent of flame.

Arden's blade was lightning incarnate.

Lamorak thrust _Lancelot._

Arden swung _Lullaby._

Then the two weapons clashed.

* * *

**Five Days after the Duel**

* * *

Arden let out a groan as he slowly opened his eyes. His body ached all over and his head felt like it was being torn apart at the seams.

_Note to self: Never, EVER, do anything, ever._ Arden thought this with the utmost conviction, but understood that it wasn't as steel clad as he would've liked. _Anyway, where am I?_

As Arden's eyes opened completely, the first thing he saw was a white, chequered ceiling. Shifting around where he was currently lying, he realised that he was in a bed.

A comfortable, comfortable bed.

_Well...that's all I need to know._ Arden was going to take a nap, but was interrupted by the sound of a door opening as someone entered the room.

'Oh? You're finally up.'

Normally, Arden would've ignored whoever it was and fallen to sleep, but this particular voice caused him to blink a couple of times and question his sanity.

_There's no way._ Arden sat up in the bed and turned his head in the direction of the voice. Sure enough, standing there in her usual red jacket, orange shirt and black jeans, was Kitsune.

'You've been unconscious for a few days now.' She said, walking over to the seat by his bed, sitting down and placing the tray of food she had in her hands on a desk drawer nearby. 'Are you feeling alright?'

Arden didn't say anything. He silently stared at her, wondering if this was actually the Fox Faunus leader of his team. He was also questioning if his head was in worse of a condition than he thought.

'I asked you a question you know. The least you could do is answer after I came all the way here.'

The customary frown and the familiar tone of irritation which caused him to flinch a little that accompanied her words left no doubt in his mind that this was indeed Kitsune.

Seeing that she was still awaiting an answer, Arden gave a slight nod, which seemed to satisfy the girl. 'And your arm?'

_My arm?_ Arden wondered in confusion, before looking down and seeing that Ephialtes had been completely wrapped in bandages, concealing it from view._ Probably Vincent._ Arden reasoned. _He's the only one that would do this. I should thank him later._ He then looked back at Kitsune and shrugged.

Kitsune frowned. _What exactly is that supposed to mean? Tsk, I knew I should have read that manual._ She was annoyed, but didn't do anything about it as Arden had taken his eyes of his bandaged arm and was looking at her.

He probably hadn't noticed yet, but he wasn't wearing his glasses, so Kitsune could easily tell that he was confused as to why she was here.

_Well, here goes._ Kitsune reached into her jacket pocket and produced two items. The first thing Arden saw was his glasses, which caused the teen to blush in embarrassment, however that momentarily faded when his eyes fell upon-

_My journal! _

Kitsune saw how Arden's expression indicated mass confusion and amazement at the sight of the small, red journal. She presented both items to Arden, and he accepted them readily.

_How does she have this?_ He wondered, causing him to forget both items and give Kitsune a confused look, which quickly faded as he shot her a smile. _That doesn't matter. It's here with me now. _

_'_Thank you.'

Kitsune's eyes went wide in surprise, and she found herself suppressing the urge to blush when she saw the sincere expression that adorned the teens face.

_You know...if Arden tidied up a bit, he wouldn't be half bad to- _

'It's fine.' Kitsune said, cutting off her train of thought before it went anywhere else. She was wondering why Arden didn't bother asking her why she had the journal in the first place. It was the most logical thing to do after all. However, he seemed content with simply having it with him once more.

_It must be really important to him._ She thought, making her feel really guilty for keeping it from him for so long, especially after-

'Hey.' She started. 'Do you...remember what you said a few days ago?'

Arden cocked his head to the side and that confused expression returned once more.

Kitsune sighed. 'Of course you just had to forget...' She mumbled, purposely keeping her voice low so Arden wouldn't hear. A faint tinge of red dusted her cheeks as she recalled the exchange of words that occurred between the teen and Royal Guard after their weapons collided.

* * *

_The arena and the stadium surrounding it was reduced to rubble._

_The sheer power behind the two techniques was unfathomable to those that had not witnessed it first-hand. It was like a star had fallen from the heavens and crashed directly into the earth, with the two warriors standing at its epicentre._

_The spectators had been spared from the destruction thanks to the combined efforts of Vincent and Raymond, who had used their auras to form a shield that protected them from the brunt of the blast._

_The dust that was kicked up from the explosion dispersed, and everyone finally saw the result of the battle._

_Arden was standing over the kneeling figure of Lamorak with his blade pressed against his neck._

_'Apologise.' The teen said, barely able to remain on his feet. 'Apologise to Kitsune.'_

_Despite his position, Lamorak threw the teen an odd look. 'Is that why you fought so hard? To the point where your body can barely hold itself together.'_

_As if on cue, Arden fell to his knees and began to cough up a large amount of blood. _

_Lamorak, through great effort, got to his feet and stood over Arden. 'You fought well, much better than most could ever hope to against me, for such a foolish reason?'_

_Arden glared at Lamorak, and the Royal Guard noted that his eyes had returned to their original colour, but still burned with defiance. 'Call it what you will.'_

_Arden stabbed Lullaby into the ground and used it as a support to get to his feet. 'She may not like me much. Hell, she hates me, but I know that Kitsune isn't a bad person.'_

_Arden shifted into a loose battle ready stance. 'And I will be damned if I let someone think they can get away with hurting her while I'm around.'_

_Arden raised Lullaby and pointed it in Lamorak's direction. 'I don't care if you're a Royal Guard, I'll-'_

_Arden never finished his sentence as he blacked out._

* * *

_After Arden had collapsed, Vincent had escorted him and the group via his Semblance to the Lyre residence, and tended to the unconscious teens wounds. He had also brought Lamorak with him, and had cleared up the misunderstanding that led to the duel in the first place. How it wasn't possible for Arden to have been the one to desecrate his ancestral grave site as Arden had been with him the entire time. He also showed him video footage he had taken of his Son's actions and why Arden had gotten involved. Lamorak assured Vincent that he would deal with that issue._

_While Vincent was doing this, Raymond took Marcus aside and explained the details of what occurred during the duel. Not wanting any unsavoury information to get out, Marcus had Raymond cover up as much of what occurred as possible._

_Especially the details concerning Arden._

_The Royal Guard, as requested by Arden repeatedly, had also apologised to Kitsune, and as soon as he was fully healed (which took the course of two days) left the Lyre residence._

* * *

In the five days that Arden had been unconscious, Kitsune had been given the job of nursing him. To everyones surprise, she didn't protest, and in fact turned down Alexis and Fen's offers to take-over or assist. To her, Arden's situation was currently her fault, and seeing him end up in such a state because of her...

Let's just say that she wasn't THAT heartless.

'Kitsune?'

At the mention of her name, the Fox Faunus girl snapped out of her reverie, and found Arden looking at her with concern.

'Why do you keep doing that?' She asked, far more frustrated with herself than at the teen before her.

Arden tilted his head to the side in confusion. Realising that she couldn't find a way to explain her outburst without having to mention what Arden had said earlier, she changed her question.

'Why did you fight Lamorak? Vincent told everyone about your Semblance.' Kitsune balled her fingers into a fist as she felt guilt rising within her. 'Why did you get into a fight with him knowing that you would get injured like this?'

Arden thought for a moment. _Is this why she's been acting so out of character?_ He noted her slumped shoulders and clenched fist. _Damn...I have to say something. _

As Arden gathered his thoughts, Kitsune awaited his answer. To be honest, she learnt that she couldn't categorize him. He made no sense.

He was weak, yet stronger than most. He was idle, yet acted in certain circumstance. He rarely spoke, yet his silence spoke bounds.

In short.

He made no sense whatsoever.

So Kitsune had to hear what his answer was. Hoping beyond hope that he would say something that would make any lick of sen-

'You know, when we first met in the Emerald Forest, I thought you were a demon.'

Kitsune snapped out of her thoughts and frowned at Arden. She wasn't expecting that, but had no time to comment as Arden continued. 'You woke me up from the nice nap I was having and then knocked me out as soon as I said something wrong. So you have to admit that it wasn't the best first impression.' Kitsune remained silent but her cheek puffed up in annoyance. 'Then I saw how you were around Zephyr and Elaine.' Arden paused.'The first time I saw you around them, when I saw you smiling and laughing, I didn't see a demon. I saw an angel. It may sound stupid to you, but at that moment, I couldn't help but think.'

Arden shot her a smile and a sincere expression. 'I wouldn't mind it if that angel would smile at me.'

Silence.

Awkward, deafening silence.

Kitsune's face turned a shade of crimson that she didn't believe possible, and so did Arden's as he realised what he had just said. It had absolutely nothing to do with what Kitsune asked, but it was the only thing that he could come up with to say.

Thankfully, the two were spared any further embarrassment as Arden's stomach growled.

_Now that I think about it, I am rather hungry. _

Arden reached over and was about to grab the tray, but was surprised when Kitsune stopped him.

'Y-your food has probably gotten cold by now so I'll go heat it up.' She said as she grabbed the tray and ran out of the room before Arden had any chance to protest.

_But...I'm hungry..._

* * *

As Kitsune rushed out of the room and headed towards the kitchen, three figures peered from the corner.

Each shot the other a look with an impish grin.

Vincent, Elaine, and Zephyr all had the same mischievous glint in their eyes as they had overheard everything that had been said between the two.

After exchanging looks once more, the three went off to make plans to annoy the pair as much as possible.

* * *

Lamorak Galahad stood in the private study of the Head of the Notus Royal Family. To the surprise of those that saw him enter, he was without his usual armour, but they said nothing on it.

Even without armour, he was still intimidating.

'Sir Galahad.' The Head said, in his usual jovial voice. 'To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?'

Lamorak bowed in respect towards the Head before straightening up. 'I have a request, your highness.'

The Head frowned. 'Please Lamorak, you know that when I am alone with my friends and family that there is no need for such formalities.'

Lamorak gave a slight grin. 'You do me too much kindness, Arthur.'

Arthur smiled. 'Good. Now, what request would you wish of me? It is quite rare of you to ask for something.'

'I am aware, but I believe that this will interest you.'

Arthur raised a brow. 'How so?'

Lamorak smirked. 'I have found someone that I wish to succeed me as a Royal Guard.'

Arthur went wide-eyed. Usually, the Head of the Royal family would decide who should become a Royal Guard. To so much as even offer a suggestion on who should become a Royal Guard was paramount to treason in the olden days. 'I am surprised Lamorak. Who is it that would cause you to ask such a thing of me?'

Lamorak crossed his arms and spoke.

'A young man that is currently residing with the Head of FRAME. Not only did he face me in combat, but I was unable to defeat him.' Arthur's eyes went wide. 'Also...'

The Royal Guard took of his shirt, revealing a hideous scar that cut diagonally from his shoulder to his hip. He then put his shirt back on.

Arthur understood why he had done that. 'This young man, what is his name?'

Lamorak gave a small grin, and uttered his name with the utmost respect.

'Arden Cross.'

* * *

Arden felt a shiver run up his spine as soon as Kitsune returned with the tray of food.

_It feels like someone is expecting me to do something. _He thought to himself, but shrugged it off and accepted the food gratefully.

'By the way.' Kitsune said, recovering from her earlier embarrassment (though she could still not look at him directly). 'I should tell you that we start our first day at Aspire tomorrow.'

Arden paused for a moment, shrugged, then went back to eating.

School is school and has its own troubles.

Right now, he preferred to eat.

Then sleep.

Arden sighed internally.

_If only I could do both._


	13. Aspire Academy

**[Before the Story Begins, I just wanted to inform all of you reading that** **PrognisAldiev is currently working on a crossover project between our perspective FanFictions, with the cast of _RWBY: Resolve, _coming to Notus. To those interested, you can find the chapters being put up in _XTRA: Resolve_. However, I encourage those that haven't read _RWBY: Resolve_ to do so for two reasons:**

**1: The Author is a fantastic writer.**

**2: Obaz...**

**...you'll get #2 once you read it.]**

* * *

Vincent Flint, Team KAZE, and Amelia Lyre accompanied by Raymond Frostbite, all stood on one of the many hexagonal metal platforms of the Airship docks colloquially known as _The Hive. _

The Hive, as is due to its name sake, was full of people as busy as bees, continually moving from one Hexagonal shaped platform to the next as they awaited transport. Most of these individuals, Vincent noted, were students from Aspire. Many were dressed in the standard school uniform. For the males, this consisted of white blazer with black trims, with a shirt and pants of the same colour. The females wore similar clothing, albeit with a skirt instead of pants.

Vincent turned his attention towards the others and found most of their actions amusing. Zephyr was staring at the Airships with a look of absolute horror and was muttering under his breath. Elaine's eyes were darting back and forth, searching for any sign of potential danger. Kitsune had essentially reverted to her normal self, which consisted of leaking a dark aura that frightened most humans away. Arden, however, was now locked into an almost amusing situation.

'Here you go Mr. Arden!'

The spectacled teen, whose array of brown clothing always gave a plain appearance, was looking at the bright face of Amelia as she presented a gift to him. Said gift was a pair of fluorescent-pink mittens. Vincent chuckled lightly as Arden placed the rectangular case carrying _Lullaby _on the ground, took the mittens and put them on without any complaint. Vincent almost cracked up laughing as Arden gave a thumbs up, signifying his approval. Amelia squealed in glee and began to regale Arden with the story of how she came about the mittens in question.

Vincent's eyes drifted from the odd pair and landed on the man watching over Amelia. As if his gaze was detected, Raymond momentarily turned his head and locked eyes with Vincent.

It was for a fraction of a second, but to the Royal Guard and Butler, it seemed much longer. They each gave a slight nod, before the lock was broken as Vincent received a message on his scroll.

He took the scroll out of his back pocket and read the contents of the message, which only served to make him sigh and put it away.

'Is something the matter?'

Vincent turned his head towards Zephyr, who had snapped out of his terror stricken state and was eyeing him with concern. Over the past few days, the two of them had come to enjoy each other's company, considering their similar easy-going natures and love of poking fun at Arden. Zephyr was always in his usual attire which consisted of a green camouflage zip up hoodie and pants, with an olive colored shirt and black combat boots.

'No everything is fine.' Vincent replied. 'It is just that I will be unable to accompany you all to Aspire. I just received word of a Grimm attack on one of the smaller towns. Usually the town's militia would handle it, but it appears that they're in dire need of assistance.' Vincent sighed once more. 'A pity, I was so looking forward to teasing Arden during the hour ride there.'

Zephyr placed his hand on the blonde-teen's shoulder. 'Do not worry my friend, I shall do enough for the both of us.'

Vincent placed his hand on the opposite shoulder of the Hawk Faunus and smiled. 'I entrust this task to you.'

A comfortable silence was held between them, which was broken when Elaine tapped Zephyr on the shoulder to inform him that it was time to board the airship. Zephyr's despair returned once more, and he begrudgingly followed Elaine as she dragged him on board with an exasperated look. Vincent looked around just in time to see Arden being dragged off in a similar manner by Kitsune, and quickly moved towards and stopped the two in their advance.

Kitsune gave an annoyed look, but that was the extent. Despite what she tried, Vincent had that uncanny effect of putting people at ease. Not only that, but considering he was Arden's best friend, she realized there was little she could do as Vincent took him to the side to speak with him in private.

Making sure they were out of earshot of the Faunus girl, who was watching them with a glare, Vincent began to speak.

'Hey, do you still have those things I gave you?'

Arden nodded. The things in question were several Dust cylinders of differing elements.

'Good. I already told the others on your team that the reason why your arm was covered in lightning was because you coated it in Dust and used your Semblance to contain it. It's a bit sketchy, but it should be enough to satisfy them.'

Arden frowned and Vincent pinched his cheek in response, annoyed. 'Don't give me that. I'm the one that had to provide you with a freaking cover story and everything for using IT so be grateful.'

Arden frowned further and Vincent let go of his cheek and sighed. 'I know I know, I'm sorry. I know you're grateful. It's just...a lot happened while you were asleep.'

Arden tilted his head slightly to the side and his frown grew smaller. 'It's nothing, there's no need for you to be worried.' Vincent assured before quickly glancing at Raymond and Amelia, who were waiting with Kitsune. 'By the way, while you're at Aspire, refrain from using IT.'

Arden's frown disappeared and returned to his primary neutral expression, irking Vincent, as it was Arden's equivalent of _'are you serious, it's not like I would use it in the first place. Are you an idiot?_'

'You've already used it once.' Vincent noticed how Arden head tilted ever so slightly away in a different direction. 'Arden...' Vincent placed his hands on the spectacled teen's shoulders, restraining him from running away. He gave an unpleasant smile as he did so. 'You **have** only used it once. Right?'

Arden scratched the back of his head, causing Vincent to sigh in irritation and remove his hands, shaking his head as he did so. 'Whatever, you probably had your reasons, just don't use it from now on, okay?'

Arden frowned, but nodded. He understood that Vincent had always been concerned that, if people found out that since acquiring _Ephialtes _his body essentially produced Dust as naturally as blood, then he would become the object of scientific study. Considering the world they lived in, it wasn't too far-fetched a notion. Though, he worried for his friend, and Vincent could tell. The blonde-haired teen still blamed himself for the accident that resulted in Arden losing his arm. Arden didn't really care too much about what happened but Vincent still blamed himself.

'Don't worry about me, just take care of yourself. Okay?'

Arden nodded and Vincent smiled. He knew that Arden, at the very least, would take his words under advisement. However, something was nagging at him and he was going to voice this when Kitsune, who decided that the two of them had enough time alone, appeared and grabbed Arden by the arm, leading them onto the Airship that Elaine and Zephyr were waiting on for them.

Vincent noted how Arden's posture had become far more relaxed but a bit more flustered. Not that anyone else would've noticed, aside from Arden's parents of course. Vincent simply smiled and waved as they managed to get on before the shuttle door closed completely.

_Oh well, I'll ask him later. Right now I've got a job to do._

With that, Vincent spun on his heel and walked off. Raymond and Amelia not too far behind.

* * *

It didn't take long for the Ex-Beacon students to find each other, and it took even less time for them to attract attention as Zephyr couldn't take it anymore and regurgitated into one of the shuttles bins. Elaine simply shook her head.

'Didn't you remember to buy pill for your motion sickness?'

Zephyr looked back at her, a bit of bile still dripping from his bottom lip. 'Of course I did. It's just that SOMEONE saw fit to THROW THEM OUT!'

Zephyr couldn't maintain his glare on the Fox Faunus girl as he reverted back to puking in the bin. Elaine raised a brow at Kitsune and the orange haired girl smirked triumphantly, believing it adequate payback after she had ditched her and Arden in the train a week back.

'You have no one but yourself to blame.' Kitsune said smugly. 'Besides, you were rather insistent that we take the Airship rather than walk.'

Zephyr, who finished emptying the contents of his stomach, sat down and leaned against the wall, groaning loudly as he did so. He glanced over at Arden, who was sitting down with his back against the wall and sleeping soundly. Though there were two routes to reach Aspire, one of which was a forest trail, Zephyr had chosen the Airship because he wanted Arden to get as much rest as possible. Even though the Spectacled teen had gotten essentially six days of rest, after hearing about the effects of his Semblance, he wanted to make sure that he was completely well rested. The Hawk Faunus also knew that that was why Kitsune and Elaine had voted for taking the Airship in the first place, not that either would ever admit that fact to the teen in question.

As Zephyr groaned, Elaine took her eyes of him and scanned the room. They were in the main body of the airship, as was standard; there were large windows aligned in the walls that gave a few of the outside, and everyone on board was in close proximity whether they liked it or not. Elaine gave a hard glare to those who were watching them with curious eyes, causing most to avert their gaze. They could tell by the way she was flexing and extending her clawed fingers that she was well prepared to fight, and none were foolish enough to test if that physique of hers was just for show.

Those eyes that remained were glued to Kitsune, who was staring out the window, watching as Nocturne slowly came out of view as they neared the outskirts, and passed over a forest of trees with leaves like rainbows; similar to those that she had seen on the train ride here, though they were less translucent in appearance. As if sensing the stares she was receiving, many of them uncouth, she activated the aura she reserved for Arden, which she had refined with some help from Fayleen Lyre, and caused all those watching her to either tremble in fear and look away or leave to enter another room entirely.

Satisfied, she drifted her gaze to Arden. She couldn't tell entirely, but it quickly became apparent to her that he was asleep, causing her to feel rather annoyed. After what had happened between them yesterday (an event she insisted absolutely never occurred) the sleeping teen had reverted back to how he normally was. There was no trace of that fighter she had seen just under a week ago, only Arden; neutral expression and all. Honestly, she wouldn't mind if she saw a bit more of that other side of him. She would've especially liked to have seen it during the Beacon Initiation Exam when she literally dragged his unconscious body through the Emerald Forest and had to protect him from some Grimm that saw the pair as easy prey.

Even if his Semblance did have negative side effects, he didn't exactly need to use it in a fight. In fact, Kitsune would prefer if he trained with them so he needed to rely less on his Semblance, considering the side-effects and how it damaged Arden it wasn't worth the risk. However, Vincent had also kindly informed the trio of Faunus, meaning he broke out in hysterical laughter after Elaine suggested that Arden participate more in their sparring sessions and spoke once he calmed down, that:

_'There are only three things that'll get Arden to fight. The first is if a child or family member is involved, the second is if there is absolutely no other option, and the third is if it is for the sake of a peaceful sleep. Other than that, he is, quite literally, the laziest bastard I have ever had the pleasure of calling friend.'_

This was another thing that served to further the orange haired girl's frustrations. According to Vincent's statement, there was no reason why Arden would duel Lamorak. She paused. When she thought about it, Arden hadn't told her why he duelled Lamorak in the first place. Thinking about it further, she realized that Arden had not once answered any of the questions she asked properly, he either ignored her or gave some nonsensical response (though, the thought of some of his nonsensical responses caused her to suppress a blush) which only served to irritate her more.

As she began to brainstorm on things that could possibly get Arden to participate in the team training sessions; something that she would've never previously considered three months ago, Elaine was having her own thoughts. She didn't think much of the spectacled teen in general, only that he was strange, and from what she had seen last week and heard from Fen, this opinion was only further solidified. However, she had to admit that he was consistent at least and rather harmless. Glancing down at the teen from where she stood next to Kitsune, she saw the fluorescent pink mittens that stood out amongst the brown clothing he wore.

_He definitely has a soft spot for children. _The Lioness Faunus thought, a trait that she found admirable. _Arden may be strange, but at least he's a good kind of strange. _Elaine looked out the window and tapped Kitsune on the shoulder, snapping the Fox Faunus girl out of her thoughts.

Kitsune raised a brow at Elaine. The Lioness Faunus pointed to the outside and the Fox Faunus girl followed its direction and saw what Elaine wanted her to see.

The Airship was currently descending into a large, circular clearing in the easternmost part of the forest, by the base of a small mountain. The clearing itself was man-made, the trees cut down and the ground paved over with concrete, all surrounded by thick steel walls that acted as a shield from the Grimm infested wood.

At the end of the clearing, closest to the mountainside, was a large flight of stairs that stretched to the flat peak of the mountain; and it was at this peak that stood Aspire Academy.

The Aspire Academy grounds roughly resembled a circle; roughly as the edges of the mountain was as one would expect, jagged and craggy. In the center of the circle was a rectangular courtyard of white stone, with three different buildings at its sides, boxing it in. Behind the largest of these buildings, the one furthest from the stairs, was a large pool of water; a lake by all accounts. A few meters away from the lake was a small patch of land used to grow crops of many different varieties. Behind the buildings that occupied the left and right sides of the courtyard were to fields that contrasted greatly with one another; one being dirty and dusty while the other was filled with lush, green grass. On the dirty and dusty field was a complex of several smaller buildings, while the green field held a single, large hall.

It was a simple enough design, in comparison to Beacon of course, but when the Airship finally landed and Team KAZE disembarked alongside the other students, they would quickly find that judging it by its appearance was a grave error.

* * *

She had long, snow-white hair that reached down to her hips and wore a sleeveless blouse of the same colour. Around her waist was a black sash, underneath which was a long skirt the same colour as her eyes; a deep red.

She greeted the students disembarking the airship, Human and Faunus alike. Both sides greeted her in a courteous and respectful fashion, but did not stay for long as they hurried up the steps; uneager to be late to class for their first day back at Aspire. Though she greeted many, she was searching for a certain group in particular, and scanned the entirety of the area as she did so.

The area where she stood was the entrance to the Academy, some of the students called it _The Stairwell, _and she believed that it was an apt description. Regardless of the method of transport one used to get here, which was either by foot or airship, all had to traverse the many stone steps that led to the main grounds of Aspire. Directly opposite to the steps, built into the thick steel wall, was an arched doorway. The doors were currently open, and allowing the students who had taken the route through the Grimm laden woods to enter.

Her eyes continued to wander over the airships, which were three in all, and frowned. The group she was supposed to meet was currently nowhere in sight. She considered what to do next, when all of a sudden.

'GROUND! SWEET, SWEET GROUND! I SHALL NEVER LEAVE YOUR MOTIONLESS EMBRACE EVER AGAIN!'

Everybody seemed to pause for a moment and looked at the source of the commotion, her included. Said commotion came from a grey haired teen, wrapped in a cloak of feathers, who was currently on his hands and knees and kissing the pavement. Most raised a brow at him, but all decided to leave him be as they made their way to the main campus. Unlike the rest, however, she watched the teen with interest, especially when he got to his feet as he was approached by a Faunus girl of the same age.

She watched the two curiously as they began to banter. The girl identified the boy as Zephyr, and underneath his feathered cloak he wore a camo print zip up hoodie and pants of the same design accompanied by an olive t-shirt and black combat boots. Strapped to the teens back was a sniper rifle of sorts that was quite interesting in its design.

In response, Zephyr identified the girl as Elaine. Elaine had short, dirty blonde hair and wore a grey singlet with Kung Fu pants of the same colour, with a pair of sneakers covering her feet.

She wondered if these two were part of the group that she was meant to be meeting, and had her suspicions confirmed when she noticed a Fox Faunus girl dragging (quite literally) a spectacled teen meet up with the pair.

The Fox Faunus girl had long, orange hair and emerald eyes, and her otherwise pretty face forged into an expression of utter annoyance. She wore a red denim jacket with an orange top underneath, and a pair of black jeans. Around her right thigh was a rectangular pouch, but this usually went unnoticed by others as they were more focused on the orange fox ears and tail.

The Fox Faunus, Kitsune, seemed annoyed that the pair had left her behind, to which the pair responded by pointing fingers at one another. While the three did this, she looked over at the spectacled teen who was only just now getting to his feet.

_And that must be Arden. _She thought, recalling the description given by Marcus Lyre.

If she were anyone else, she would've frowned as she examined the spectacled teen, whose scraggly physique and unkempt appearance made him look he would make a rather poor hunter. It also didn't help that his jacket, which was a darker shade of brown than his vest and pants, hung a little loosely on him, making him look smaller than he actually was. However, she had seen the transcripts of his interview at Beacon, and had to admit that he was interesting, in one sense. Also...

_Why is he wearing pink-mittens?_

She shook of the thought and considered introducing herself to them, but decided against it, hoping to catch a glimpse of why Marcus would bother transferring this team from overseas.

The spectacled teen turned his head in the direction of his fellow team mates, then at the flight of stairs. He then tapped Zephyr on the shoulder, interrupting the blame game he was having with Elaine.

'What is it?' He asked. Arden's response was to point at the stairs and then make a series of movements with his arms. This confused the Faunus girls, but Zephyr understood, recognizing the code. 'Yes. Aspire is all the way up there, and yes, I assume we have to walk up all those stairs to get there.'

The spectacled teen looked at the stairs once more, before turning on his heel and walking in the opposite direction. He didn't get far however, as his arm was gripped by the Fox Faunus girl.

'Where exactly do you think you're going?' She asked, releasing Arden's arm as he used both to make another series of gestures to Zephyr. The girls turned their attention to Zephyr, awaiting his answer.

'He says. _'I would rather go back to Beacon if it means I can avoid climbing so many stairs.' _The girls stared blankly at Zephyr, then Kitsune whipped her head back towards Arden and glared.

'Excuse me?' she said, a familiar deathly aura striking the teen.

Arden's response was waving his hands in front of him defensively, but he still said nothing.

'I thought so.'

As the Fox Faunus turned her attention back to the other two Faunus teens, and the spectacled teen had decided to lay on the ground as he had nothing better to do, she decided to approach.

She did not see what Marcus saw in them, she had never been as adept at reading people as he was, so continuing to watch them was pointless. As she headed towards them, the Faunus teens turned their heads towards her and watched with a wary eye. The spectacled teen, she noticed, had not moved.

_It looks like what Amelia said about him was true. _She mused, recalling Marcus' and Fayleen's daughter. _He really likes to sleep. Not that surprising, considering the reason he gave Ozpin as to why he wanted to become a Hunter. _

She gave a warm smile to the group when she finally reached them. 'Good day, I believe you are the transfers from Beacon, Team KAZE, correct?' The Faunus were surprised, and their leader regarded her with a suspicious glare. Her smile never left her face. 'No need for alarm. I am here to guide you around Aspire under the request of my close friend, Marcus Lyre.' At the mention of the Cat Faunus, the teens calmed down somewhat, though Kitsune still seemed wary. 'I believe I should introduce myself.' What she said next shocked the teens, save for the sleeping male in pink mittens.

'I am Eurydice, Headmaster of Aspire. I pray we get along.'

* * *

Arden found himself growing a justified hatred of stairs.

Not only had Kitsune woken him from his nap, but she had even seen fit to drag him up the blasted things until he decided to walk on his own. Thankfully, the stair case was empty as all the students had entered the main campus while Kitsune confirmed Eurydice identity as Headmaster after a call with Marcus.

Sighing internally, his face maintained his usual blank expression as he walked past the halfway mark alongside Kitsune and Elaine.

This surprised him. He had thought he was imagining things, but Kitsune was less put off by his presence, something that confused him, but he wouldn't say that he didn't enjoy it. She was kinder to him, in a sense, so that was good. Though she still was angry at him for one reason or another she had become less...'harsh' with her words when waking him. Even with the fact that she still used her dark aura, it was less frequent, so that was nice; Kitsune could be really scary.

As the two Faunus girls chatted, Arden decided to listen in as Zephyr spoke with Eurydice. The Hawk Faunus had been chatting with the Headmaster for some time now, and decided to raise a question.

'Why did the airships park all the way down there?' He asked, finding it odd. 'At Beacon the ships take us right to the Campus, is there a reason for this?'

Eurydice smiled, impressed that the boy noticed that. 'Yes. Tell me, as we've been walking up the stairs, have you noticed anything strange or out of place?'

Zephyr cocked his head to the side and looked around. After a few minutes he shook his head. Eurydice had expected this, and told him to look closer. Once he did so, he found something shocking. Small, natural and man-made indents littered the mountain side at various intervals. They would otherwise be unnoticeable to most, as they were hidden quite well, and Zephyr knew what they were. Sniper nests, or perches, or vantage points, call them what you will; the fact remained that these were utilized by long range gunners as a means to take out the enemy with little to no chance of being detected.

Eurydice nodded slightly, suppressing the urge to chuckle at Zephyr's baffled expression. 'Aspire Academy.' She started. 'Has only been around for the past thirty years. The sight which the academy now rests was once a training facility used by the army.' Zephyr waited patiently, seeing where she was going with this. Unbeknownst to the two, Kitsune and Elaine had begun to listen in, while Arden had grown bored of the conversation and began to write in his journal to pass the time, the case holding _Lullaby _hanging loosely from his arm. 'After Aspire was established, most of the military technology was reposed by the government. However, there was a few things they left behind, unable to repossess for one reason or another. Among these was an early version of The Aegis.'

'The Aegis?' Zephyr asked, confused.

Eurydice nodded as the group continued up the steps. 'Yes. The Aegis is a shield of sorts. It forms a dome around Aspire. Should someone attempt to enter the Academy through any other method then the one we are currently taking, The Aegis releases a pulse that renders their technology useless; weapons, communication devices, vehicles.'

Understanding lit the Faunus teen's eyes. If an airship attempted to enter that space, the damage and casualties would be high. 'In recent years, we have managed to adapt The Aegis so the pulse also sends a shock that would render most Human and Faunus unconscious, as well as repel Grimm.'

Kitsune, who had been listening closely, thought about it for a moment. _This place is a fort. _She concluded. It had a food and water supply, an advantageous position, and a defence system. It was indeed a fort of sorts in the guise of an academy.

'The apparatus that allows The Aegis to create this dome is too large to move, and The Aegis itself is far too valuable to destroy, so we have simply had to adjust.'

The apparatus which the Headmaster spoke of was a series of underground pipes, wires, and metal rods that jut out of the perimeter of the peak. The Aegis uses these to send a signal to a small, circular object in the air that acts as the focal point for the dome, which remains unseen to all but the most observant. The Aegis then sends a controlled electric wave towards the focal point that keeps the focal point afloat and the gives the dome shape. As the apparatus extends beneath the Academy grounds, there is very little that can be done to move it. Considering the nature of this dome, it cannot be seen by the naked eye.

Zephyr frowned. 'Why not build Aspire somewhere else? I'm pretty sure that if the military had stayed then this wouldn't have been a problem.'

Eurydice shook her head. 'I wish it were that simple. Has Marcus informed you all of the main influences in this country.' The teens (minus Arden) nodded. After the duel with Lamorak, Marcus had seen fit to explain the Pentagonal Powers to the group, and their place within Notus. He was also going to inform Arden, but by the time the teen woke, it was time for them to head to Aspire.

Eurydice continued.'Then you understand that Notus isn't in the best situation right now. If soldiers guarding this facility decided to defect to the Insurgents or FRAY and took over this facility, that would put Nocturne at risk. You've all most likely seen the Dust Crystal at the center of the city. Imagine that kind of power in the hands of extremists.' Eurydice shook her head and frowned. 'The selfish desires of the heart, that which cares not for others, will one day burn this country; and the only victors will be the Grimm as they feast on our corpses.'

Eurydice continued to walk forward, unaware of the shocked and unsure looks she was receiving from the Faunus teens. Thankfully, the teens were spent any further discomfort when Arden tripped and fell onto the stairs, breaking the tense atmosphere. Kitsune and Elaine rolled their eyes while Zephyr held out his hand, laughing as he did so.

Arden, on his part, refused to move, finding lying on the steps to be much more preferable to walking on them. However, after some further prompting by Zephyr, and the threat of another tongue lashing by Kitsune, he believed it in his best interest to get up. Stretching his arms, he begrudgingly resumed the trek alongside the others.

Thankfully, it didn't take them much longer to reach the top, and where Eurydice was waiting for them. When they did they got their first true view of Aspire Academy.

The first thing that caught their eye was the large building on the opposite end of the white-stone courtyard. It was by far the largest building on the cliff, and the most imposing to boot. It was three stories tall, and far wider than that, and was designed like a mansion. It was the newest of the buildings, and was coloured red and gold. The roof was mostly flat, save for the triangular top at the center, and was decorated with banners bearing the emblem of Aspire; a star cradled by two hands.

The front of this building was decorated with neatly trimmed hedges and statues of Hunters and Huntress' of renown, with the most extravagant of these statues being a Faunus and Human Hunter with matching outfits standing by the arched entrance to the building.

To the left and rights of the courtyard were two similar buildings. Both of them were far less extravagant then the red, and one was white while the other black. Block like in appearance with flat roofs, the only thing of note was the similarity they shared with the red and gold building; having small hedges and statues.

The courtyard itself, at a glance, appeared empty, but on closer inspection that was not the case. At the center of the courtyard was a circular flower bed of small-white roses. Arden recognized them as the reason why Notus got the moniker _'The Land of the Night Flower'. _This type of flower glowed under the moonlight, and was quite common. Fields of this flower could be found in certain places, and the flower itself was also used in medicine.

As the four teens took this all in, Eurydice stood in front of them.

'I believe I should have said this sooner, but now seems far more appropriate.' She gave the group a heart-warming smile.

'Welcome to Aspire.'

* * *

_I hate this place. _

That was the only thought running through Arden's head until Team KAZE was finally taken to their room at the end of Eurydice's tour and he promptly fell onto the first bed he saw.

It turned out the big red and gold building was the main complex where students studies. Within the confines of the building was several different classrooms, a hall, a canteen and a library. It also held the offices were one could meet the staff, with the Headmaster having her own private office on the top floor.

The white and black buildings, it turned out, were the students' dorms, and the dorm rooms themselves were similar in design to Beacons.

The small complex of buildings sat behind the white dorm was actually several different workshops that the students used to improve, enhance, or change things about their weapons. The workshop itself, to the Faunus teen's surprise, was run by a large Bear Faunus named Cathal. Arden wondered if he knew the man, but couldn't quite remember so he let it be.

The hall behind the black dorm was a training facility dubbed _'The Pit' _and it was this that irked Arden the most. The Pit was built mostly underground. During construction, the Academy had decided to convert the underground bunkers of the military into something more practical for the Hunters and Huntress' in training. Arden was particularly annoyed at the fact that everything was so far apart. There would be a gym at one end of the facility, then you would have to either climb down some stairs or enter a conjoined room to get somewhere else.

It was annoying. After all that walking, Arden decided he needed some sleep, and was completely at rest.

The Faunus however, took this opportunity to speak.

'So what do you guy's think so far?' Zephyr asked as soon as Eurydice had left.

'I don't like it.' Elaine replied. 'Did you see some of the looks we were getting from their students?'

Kitsune nodded. Many unfriendly glances had been sent their way, but they averted their gaze when she and Elaine glared back. 'Regardless, there isn't much we can do about that.'

Zephyr was in agreement, and was going to say more when he heard Arden snoring. He gave a wry grin in the spectacled teen's direction and shook his head. 'I gotta say, I'm kind of jealous.'

The girls gave slight nods in agreement. Arden was either completely oblivious to the glares he had been receiving from the Faunus students, or he really didn't give a damn considering his behaviour hadn't changed at all. 'At any rate.' continued Zephyr. 'I don't see how we're supposed to make whatever kind of difference Marcus was looking for.'

Kitsune nodded. 'I know. Until then, however, I want all of us to stick together. We don't know much about this place, but from the little I've seen, it would be safest if we were in a group.'

The other two nodded, but Kitsune was confuse as to why they were grinning. 'What is it?' she asked, annoyed.

Zephyr and Elaine shot each other a look, then Zephyr spoke up. 'Are you sure you want ALL of us to stick together-'

'-Or are you just looking for an excuse to keep Arden around?' Elaine added before both she and the Hawk Faunus finished.

'Angel.'

The two never saw it coming as Kitsune grabbed the first thing she saw and threw it at the pair, who were laughing hysterically.

* * *

'Arden, get up.'

Arden groaned in annoyance as he rolled over onto his back and sat up on the bed. Looking around, he found that it was Zephyr, who was holding out a cup in his direction.

'It's chocolate milk.' Zephyr explained, offering it to him. 'Fen told me that it was your favourite.'

Arden nodded and accepted the drink gratefully before consuming it. After finishing, he handed the cup back to the Hawk Faunus and checked his pocket watch. It was one in the morning, which only served to confuse him further. Displaying the customary arm movements to Zephyr, the Hawk Faunus spoke up.

'I felt like it was the right thing to do. My grandfather taught me that, if you respect someone enough and are grateful for having them around, then you should treat them to a meal or buy them a drink. I chose the latter.'

This did very little to ease Arden's confusion, and he indicated as such. To his surprise, Zephyr sighed. 'You remember that memorial we saw?'

Arden nodded. It was the first thing that anyone saw the moment they walked into the red building; a wall that listed the names of the students that had passed away, taken by the Grimm.

Seeing this Zephyr continued. 'I was thinking about it. Those guys were students here, just like we are now. It reminded me that what we're doing isn't all fun and games. That we aren't exactly invincible. So I decided I should make the most of now, while I can.'

Arden's expression didn't change. What Zephyr was saying was correct, but he didn't understand what this had to do with the drink. Thankfully, the Hawk Faunus explained. 'I just wanted you to know that I appreciate you coming all the way out here. I'm pretty sure Kitsune and Elaine are as well, but there's no way they'll ever admit it.' Zephyr chuckled as Arden nodded with understanding. 'I think that's pretty worthy of respect. Besides, I've been meaning to buy you a drink anyway.'

Arden gave a small smile as a sign of thanks. Zephyr grinned then headed over to his own bed and lay down, but not before saying. 'It may be a bit late, but I consider you a friend, and I've got your back.'

Arden sat up for a moment longer, thinking on what Zephyr said.

'Likewise.' He replied softly, then went back to sleep, and in a few hours his first day at Aspire would truly begin.

* * *

Cathal was suspicious of the spectacled teen that had been introduced by Eurydice. He seemed familiar, but the Bear Faunus couldn't quite place it, as his head hurt whenever he tried to think on it.

Seeing no other option, he used his private communicator to contact FRAY...


End file.
